Gender-specific differences in the financial decision-making behaviour

Bachelor Thesis , 2015 , 78 Pages , Grade: 1,7

Economics - Finance

The purpose of this paper is to examine, whether gender differences in financial behaviour are still evident nowadays. Commonly it is assumed that women tend to be more risk-averse while men are more risky and overconfident in regard to financial topics. These assumptions of gender-differences are investigated in this research.
Further this paper explores the gender-based differences in financial literacy as well as the gender disparities in obtaining information.
A survey was conducted to gain information about the financial behaviour of undergraduate students from the Trier University of Applied Sciences.
Results show that, in this sample, gender does not influence risk-taking behaviour, financial knowledge, or the way of obtaining information but only affects the degree of confidence.

Table of Contents

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Review of relevant literature
• 2.1 Opposing opinions about the risk-taking behaviour of gender in literature
• 2.1.1 Gender-based risk-taking behaviour according to literature
• 2.1.2 Nature and nurture shape the risk-taking behaviour of gender
• 2.1.3 Contrary results - women do take risks
• 2.2 How overconfidence is seen in literature
• 2.2.1 Nature and nurture shape overconfidence
• 2.3 Financial literacy – The knowledge about managing financial resources
• 2.4 The way of obtaining information - how it can contribute to wealth
• 2.5 Gender differences in other financial aspects
• 2.6 Conclusion resulting from literature
• 3. Differences in the research implementation in comparison to existing literature
• 3.1 The importance of the research sample
• 3.2 The areas of investigation and stating hypotheses
• 3.3 The choice of a questionnaire as a research tool
• 4. Research Methods
• 4.1 Project Design
• 4.1.1 Question design to test hypothesis 1
• 4.1.2 Question design to test hypothesis 2
• 4.1.3 Question design to test hypothesis 3
• 4.1.4 Question design to test hypothesis 4
• 4.1.5 Sensitive information of participants
• 4.2 Descriptive statistics
• 4.2.1 Relevant general data
• 4.3 Examining relevant information resulting from the survey
• 4.3.1 Willingness to take risk
• 4.3.2 Overconfidence according to gender
• 4.3.3 Financial knowledge
• 4.3.4 Degree in information processing
• 5. Inferential statistics
• 5.1 Summary of the main findings
• 5.1.1 Findings of hypothesis 1
• 5.1.2 Findings of hypothesis 2
• 5.1.3 Findings of hypothesis 3
• 5.1.4 Findings of hypothesis 4
• 6. Discussion of findings
• 7. Limitations of the research
• 7.1 Sample size
• 7.2 Choice of research methodology
• 7.3 Other limitations resulting from conducting the research
• 8. Concluding remarks and outlook

Objectives and Key Themes

This thesis aims to investigate the differences in financial decision-making behaviour between genders. It focuses on identifying and analyzing the factors that influence risk-taking, overconfidence, financial literacy, and information processing in relation to gender.

• Risk-taking behaviour and its relationship to gender
• The role of overconfidence in financial decision-making
• Financial literacy and its impact on financial behaviour
• Information processing and its influence on financial decisions
• The impact of gender on financial decision-making behaviour

Chapter Summaries

• Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter provides a brief introduction to the research topic and outlines the research questions and objectives. It also discusses the significance of the study and its contribution to the field of international business.
• Chapter 2: Review of relevant literature This chapter reviews existing literature on gender-specific differences in financial decision-making behaviour. It examines various studies that have explored the relationship between gender, risk-taking, overconfidence, financial literacy, and information processing. The chapter also discusses the opposing opinions and conflicting findings reported in the literature.
• Chapter 3: Differences in the research implementation in comparison to existing literature This chapter discusses the unique aspects of the research implementation, highlighting the differences compared to previous studies. It emphasizes the importance of the research sample, the areas of investigation, and the choice of a questionnaire as a research tool.
• Chapter 4: Research Methods This chapter provides a detailed description of the research methodology employed in the study. It outlines the project design, including the question design to test the hypotheses. The chapter also discusses the descriptive statistics used to analyze the data and the relevant general data collected. Finally, it examines the information resulting from the survey, focusing on factors such as willingness to take risk, overconfidence, financial knowledge, and information processing.
• Chapter 5: Inferential statistics This chapter presents the findings of the inferential statistical analysis, summarizing the main results. It examines the findings of each hypothesis, using statistical tests to analyze the relationships between gender and financial decision-making behaviour.
• Chapter 6: Discussion of findings This chapter discusses the findings of the study, providing insights into the relationship between gender and financial decision-making behaviour. It analyses the significance of the results and their implications for international business.
• Chapter 7: Limitations of the research This chapter acknowledges the limitations of the research, discussing factors that could have influenced the findings. It addresses the sample size, the choice of research methodology, and other limitations resulting from the research process.

Keywords

This thesis focuses on the impact of gender on financial decision-making behaviour, examining key concepts such as risk-taking, overconfidence, financial literacy, and information processing. The research explores these concepts in the context of international business, providing insights into the differences in financial decision-making behaviour between genders.

• College: University of Applied Sciences Trier
• Course: Finance
• Grade: 1,7
• Author: Van Anh Hoang (Author)
• Publication Year: 2015
• Pages: 78
• Catalog Number: V319856
• ISBN (eBook): 9783668191228
• ISBN (Book): 9783668191235
• Language: English
• Tags: gender, difference, financial, behaviour, risk, overconfidence, financial literacy, optimism, finance, woman, man