Are we there yet? The gender investment gap
Hosts: National Library
Venue: National Library, Wellington and online via Zoom
Date: 1 August 2022
Presenters:
Angela Meyer, Double Denim
Sonya Williams, Sharesies
Simran Kaur, Girls that Invest
The second event in the Are we there yet? speaker series.
This event focused on why women feel less knowledgeable about investing, applying a feminist lens to financial wellbeing.
Key takeaways
- Although women are strong savers, budgeters and Kiwi Saver contributors, most women believe they wouldn't be able to navigate the world of investing.
- Systemic barriers have made financial information less accessible to women.
- Negative stereotypes associated with women and money need to be unlearned in order for us to find financial empowerment.
- Readily available advice and investment platforms have now made it easier than ever to invest.
- Consider your values in terms of where to put your money and your appetite for risk. Then take the first step!
- Although we're ‘not there yet', every day we get closer. While systems remain stacked against us, there is hope and power in coming together, sharing the knowledge and supporting each other.
More on the speakers
Angela Meyer (she/her) is a three times nominee for the Women of Influence Awards (2016, 2018 and 2022) for her work supporting gender equity and identifying ways in which businesses can improve gender relations in the workplace and help unlock the power of the $28 trillion female economy. At the heart of all of her work is a desire to empower women and change the status quo. Angela’s consultancy skills have seen her work in London, Melbourne and Tokyo. Angela has led high performing teams in the corporate, arts and government sectors and is the co-founder of the Ace Lady Network, Gender Justice Collective and Project Gender. From 2016 to 2020 she was the founder and the director of Double Denim, an internationally award-winning agency. In 2021 she developed and led ‘Trade Careers’ — a project to get more women into the trades and is currently the Head of Marketing at Auckland Council.
Sonya Williams (she/her) is the co-founder, director and 3EO (co-CEO) of Sharesies. Sonya has built a career in technology, global marketing and product management in Aotearoa’s loved companies Xero and Kiwibank. She is passionate about using technology to solve big problems, and create a more equitable society. This led her to seeing the opportunity to make investing more accessible, providing everyone with an equal chance to grow their wealth. Sonya was the co-winner of the 2020 Women of Influence — Business award, alongside co-founder Brooke Roberts.
Simran Kaur (she/her) together with Sonya Gupthan founded 'Girls That Invest' in March 2020 as a one-stop-shop for women who want to invest but don’t know where to begin or don’t feel like it’s for them. Their mission is simple — two women of colour in their mid 20s who want to make investing seem less daunting to women around the world. Their podcast, Girls That Invest has amassed over one million downloads and has become the world’s top investing podcast for women. Their 150,000-strong Instagram following quickly demonstrated the need for more investing education, tailored to help tackle the wealth gap women are facing.