What is surprising is that exactly five years ago, the same report showed almost the same ratios between the two genders.

So, why the flat growth? Is it because women think differently when it comes to investments? Should we expect a change in line with gains in gender parity over the past several decades?

I do not know the answers but in today’s article, I try to explain the results with an emphasis on how women can strengthen their investment game.

First, I believe the stagnant growth in the number of women investors generally reflects a woman’s nature as we know it; more patient, more cautious and with less ego issues than men.

As a result of these qualities, women naturally are less inclined to trade excessively and instead buy and hold in order to limit their trading, a fact confirmed by a research report, Investing Like a Woman by Infinitas Asset management.

Men, on the other hand, tend to over trade or churn their portfolio (56 per cent more than women). Interestingly, the more men traded, the worse their performance became.

Coincidentally, the same research also showed female stock market investors on average out-performed their male counterparts by one per cent a year.

Women’s conservative nature is also their biggest shortcoming. They tend to own less stock than men, a fact confirmed by the CMA report, but which unfortunately impairs their long-term returns.

In addition, by waiting too long either because of too much cautiousness or because of lacking confidence, women often miss out on opportunities.

On the contrary, men, who tend to have a higher opinion of their abilities, often jump in and take advantage of market opportunities.

A word of advice for women; the old days of putting money in a savings account and watching it grow into a big chunk is over. Yes, time and compounding works magic, but when starting with an interest rate at less than two per cent, one cannot expect much.

And if the interest rate being paid is less than the rate of inflation, one will never get to the pinnacle of wealth because they will be losing money over time due to inflation.

Please don’t get me wrong; there are times in one’s life when having six months’ worth of living expenses in cash is prudent, but cash and nothing else is not a sound investment strategy.

In all, women can use their “slow but steady” approach but focus it on the stock market. In a world of higher interest rates, high inflation and favourable risk/reward ratios, perhaps women need to start “thinking and acting” like men when it comes to investing.

The year 2012 was a banner one for the stock market with the NSE 20 share index increasing about 30 per cent.