Plenti Dream Index: What Women Want

Throughout the ages, we’ve been told how different women are from men.

But we wanted to know: is this really the case? When it comes to finances, futures and families, what do women want? 

Last month, we conducted a survey in recognition of International Women’s Day, to better understand women’s financial priorities for the year ahead, capturing the responses of more than 2,200 participants. 

The results were curiously unifying. Overall, men and women want the same things in life. We prioritise our plans and concerns slightly differently, but in the ways that matter most, we’re more aligned than not. Notably, across both genders, the purchase and repayment of a home remained a top priority, regardless of life stage. 

Plenti CEO Daniel Foggo said that while women’s financial goals showed some variance from those of men, the survey’s findings overall reflected a deep focus on financial priorities and planning across both genders. “During changing life stages, women and men reflected some differences in their financial priorities, but overall, entering the property market was still the number one financial goal across the board for those that haven’t already done so, regardless of gender.”

Key findings from the Plenti Dream Index: What Women Want survey include:

• For those readying to start a family, women are less concerned than men about acquiring or repaying a mortgage (33% vs 41%)
• Overall, women considered building a nest egg as a greater priority than men did (39% vs 32%)
• Overall, women were twice as likely as men to prioritise saving for a big purchase (17% vs 8%)
• Women were significantly more concerned than men about unexpected expenses, including an increase in their cost of living (46% vs 36%)

For those with children at home, women’s financial priorities aligned more closely with those of men:

• Parents of young children of both genders were equally concerned with acquiring or repaying a mortgage (~45% for both)
• Women and men prioritised building a nest egg at similar rates (19% vs 13%)
• Women and men were equally concerned about planning for a major purchase (16% for both)

Looking five years ahead, women and men remained aligned on the importance of acquiring or repaying a mortgage, repaying other debt and interestingly, saving for their children’s education, which remained at a relatively low ~5% for both.

Throughout each life stage, women were half as likely as men to regard growing their investment or superannuation portfolio as a priority. 

“This research shows that above all else, women and men have very clear views about their financial futures,” said Mr Foggo. 

“And while women and men’s priorities differed in the family planning stages, they broadly aligned once there were children living at home. The response group reflects the financial literacy of Australian consumers, and that’s great news for our ecosystem and economy at large.”