The £574 Billion Question: What’s Really Stopping Women from Investing? | Dr Ylva Baeckström

Episode Summary
In this episode of The Cashflow Show, host Clayton M Coke speaks with Dr Ylva Baeckström, Behavioural Finance Expert at King’s Business School. They explore the UK’s £574 billion gender investment gap, the non-financial barriers holding women back, the power of short structured education, the role of early messaging and role models, and practical ways to close the gap.

Chapters
00:00 – Introduction and welcome
00:26 – Dr Baeckström’s background and journey
02:23 – The £574 billion gender investment gap
02:51 – Financial capability as the key barrier
03:20 – How the gap starts in childhood
04:18 – Perception vs reality of investing
05:12 – Time commitment myths
06:33 – Investing is simpler than people think
07:28 – The importance of parental encouragement
09:21 – How 20 minutes a day for 7 days changes perceptions
10:47 – Class, exclusion and complexity
12:14 – Better ways of teaching financial education
13:11 – How eToro’s approach works
15:06 – Fear of getting it wrong
16:33 – Just starting the journey
17:03 – Vision for the future of women and investing
18:28 – Resources and the 7-Day Loud Investing Challenge 

Key Discussion Points
  • The UK gender investment gap stands at £574 billion 
  • 73% of non-investing women believe they need to know a lot before starting 
  • 67% think investing requires a major time commitment 
  • Gender differences in financial confidence appear by age 16 
  • Financial gifts and messaging differ for boys and girls from babyhood 
  • Short, practical learning (20 minutes a day for 7 days) significantly shifts perceptions and willingness to invest 
  • Fear of getting it wrong is largely based on lack of knowledge 
  • The real risk is not investing at all
Key Takeaways
  • Investing feels complex until people start learning — then the barrier drops quickly 
  • Short, accessible education is highly effective at changing attitudes and behaviour 
  • Early encouragement, especially from parents and role models, has lasting impact 
  • Exclusion (by gender, class or background) makes finance feel more complicated than it is 
  • The biggest risk for many women is remaining in cash and missing long-term growth
Notable Quotes
“The real risk for women and other under-invested groups is not investing at all.” – Dr Ylva Baeckström 
“Just starting the journey means that you’re taking control of your situation.” – Dr Ylva Baeckström 
“It’s not that complex. Absolutely everyone can learn about investing.” – Dr Ylva Baeckström 

Actionable Insights for Businesses
  • Design financial education in short, practical sessions rather than long traditional courses 
  • Use plain language and remove unnecessary jargon 
  • Encourage early positive messaging about money and investing for girls and under-represented groups 
  • Support employees and customers with simple, confidence-building investment learning 
  • Focus on getting people started rather than aiming for perfect knowledge first
Resources
  • Money and Pensions Service: maps.org.uk 
  • eToro 7-Day Loud Investing Challenge (free, 20 minutes a day) – search “Loud Investing” 
  • Book: Gender and Finance: Addressing Inequality in the Financial Services Industry by Dr Ylva Baeckström

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