A recent survey by Fidelity International, an investment management company, reveals that women are less optimistic than men about their ability to fund their retirement, citing concerns about rising inflation, uncertainty in the global economy and lack of investing confidence as top factors. The study found that the increasing cost of living is a major concern for 81 per cent of women in the Asia-Pacific region, followed by worries about the economy's long-term health, mentioned by 73 per cent of respondents. Seven out of 10 women expressed anxiety about their capacity to save and invest.
According to Charlotte Chan, the head of workplace and personal investing at Fidelity International in Hong Kong, women are inclined to focus on reducing expenses, working more years before retirement, and adding to their savings as a way of exercising control. In comparison, men are more likely to take advantage of investing to supplement their retirement income.
The survey indicates that women are not as confident as men in their ability to make the right decisions about where to invest their money, with only 38 per cent of women in the Asia-Pacific saying they feel competent in this area, compared to 51 per cent of men. The perception that investing is a high-risk activity and an overestimation of the income needed before investing hold women back from investing more. As a result, most women prefer to invest in low-risk products like cash savings, term deposits and foreign currencies for their retirement.
The survey also reveals that less than a third of women feel assured that their savings will support them throughout their retirement, while 40 per cent of men express confidence in this area. Women in Asia-Pacific are expected to retire at age 63 on average, resulting in a retirement life of approximately 22 years, given an average life expectancy of 85 years. However, nearly half of the women believe that their retirement savings will last for less than 20 years, with another 20 per cent unable to predict it at all.