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The Financial Literacy Gender Gap · Mom's Money

• 0:00
  Here at WeWork, one of my neighbors, a financial advisor, leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and said to me, "Well, men are just better at math." I didn't storm off.
• 0:12
  I smiled, I nodded, and I thought, "This is exactly why I have a podcast."
• 0:16
  Because that belief, that little throwaway comment from a man who manages other people's money, it's the same belief that keeps women out of the room where financial decisions are made. And here's the actual data.
• 0:28
  According to the TIAA Institute's 2025 PFIN Index, men correctly answered 53% of financial literacy questions. Women answered 45%. That's an eight-point gap.
• 0:43
  But when you look specifically at investing, the gap jumps to 15 points. On savings, it's a ten-point gap. 22% of men scored in the very high financial literacy category, but only 11% of women did. Half.
• 1:01
  Men are not better at math. Women have been taught less about money. And today, we're fixing that. This is Mom's Money Talk. I'm Ellie Ezra, the mom talking money like no one ever did for you.
• 1:15
  This is for the woman who's done managing money and ready to run her life like a business. I'm not a financial advisor, but I've built companies, sat in rooms with investors, and learned how money actually works.
• 1:27
  And here's the truth. You don't have a money problem. You have a systems problem. This isn't about budgeting harder or cutting lattes.
• 1:34
  It's about spending with intention, building assets, and thinking like the CFO of your household. Because if you're a mom, you're already running a business, the business of the home.
• 1:45
  So I'm giving you the playbook, one that makes your life feel lighter, not heavier. So why the gap exists, and it's not your fault. The financial literacy gender gap is real, but it's not biological.
• 2:02
  Here's what the research actually shows. For women, self-efficiency, the belief that you can do something, is one of the strongest predictors of financial literacy, not actual math ability, not IQ, not education level.
• 2:20
  The belief that you are capable. And that belief gets eroded early. Studies show that parents talk to sons more about investing.
• 2:28
  Schools rarely teach personal finance at all, and when they do, boys tend to be more actively encouraged to engage. Women manage money every day.
• 2:39
  We track the grocery budget, the school fees, the birthday parties, the medical bills.
• 2:44
  We are constant financial decision-makers, but we're told directly and indirectly that the real money stuff, real money stuff, investing, wealth building, business finance isn't for us. That's the gap.
• 2:57
  It's not ability, it's access, and we are changing that. What women are actually doing with money. Here's the narrative, and here's where we get it wrong. Women are opening brokerage accounts at record rates.
• 3:12
  Women are buying homes. Women are starting businesses. Women now control over $10 trillion in wealth in the United States, and that number is growing. But here's where it still breaks down. Women under-invest.
• 3:30
  We're more likely to keep money in cash or savings accounts than put it in the market. Why? Research says it comes down to confidence, not competence.
• 3:40
  Women who take a financial literacy course close the investing gap almost entirely. This is not a skill gap. It's a confidence gap created by systemic exclusion. The good news, here we are. Confidence is buildable.
• 3:57
  Knowledge is teachable, and you're already here. The mom lens. Here's the reframe I want you to sit with. Every skill required to be a great investor, you already have it. Pattern recognition.
• 4:15
  You know when your kid is gonna get sick before they get sick. You read behavioral cues, predict outcomes, and adjust your plan. This is exactly what reading market trends requires. Risk assessment.
• 4:29
  You don't let your toddler run into traffic to get to the swings faster. You evaluate risk versus reward constantly. That's investing. Long-term planning. You're not just making today's lunch.
• 4:40
  You're thinking about what kind of adult your child is becoming. You are a long-horizon thinker. Moms specifically have this long-horizon thinking, and that is the single most important skill in wealth building.
• 4:58
  Resourcefulness under constraint. You know how to do more with less. You've been optimizing a household budget while managing 12 other systems. That is the CFO skill set.
• 5:10
  The only thing missing was someone telling you that these skills translate. They do, and now you know. How does the gap close? The financial literacy gender gap closes the same way it was created, through exposure.
• 5:28
  Women who talk about money with other women close the gap. Women who take on financial literacy courses close the gap. Women who start investing even small amounts close the gap through doing.
• 5:42
  The gap doesn't close by waiting until you feel ready. It closes by starting before you feel ready, learning as you go, and building the confidence that comes from evidence. You don't need to know everything.
• 5:53
  You need to know enough to start. So let's talk about some practical actions. Learn one investing concept this week. First thing, not everything, one thing. What's an index fund? What does compound interest mean?
• 6:08
  What's a Roth IRA? Do I have one? [laughs] Ask ChatGPT, ask Google, listen to an episode about it. We'll have one. Understand deeply. One concept per week for a year is 52 concepts. That's a financial education.
• 6:23
  The next thing, open or check your investment account this week. If you don't have a brokerage account, Roth IRA, open one. Fidelity, Vanguard, Schwab, they have zero minimum options.
• 6:34
  You can, like, get in and look around. And if you already have one, log in. Just look at what's in it. Check your allocation. Make sure your money's actually working. It's really not complicated. It's just unfamiliar.
• 6:45
  Do it anyway. Next thing, third thing, talk about money with another woman this week. Hey, girl. Text a friend, sister, colleague. Ask her, "What are you investing in? Do you have a Roth IRA?
• 6:58
  What does your budget look like?" These conversations feel awkward at first. They feel revolutionary after. We're always talking about what we purchase and what we spent and what we're consuming.
• 7:08
  We give each other those tips. Where we go for this service, who we talk to, wh- who's the best mechanic, who's the best Botox injector. We're having conversations about money. Talk about ownership conversations.
• 7:22
  And every time a woman talks about money openly, she breaks this cycle of silence that creates this gap. You have the power. Use it. I've got a resource in the show notes, the Financial Literacy Starter Guide.
• 7:35
  It covers five concepts every woman should know and understand about her own money with plain English explanations to get started. So grab it, share it. Let's close this gap together. This is Mom's Money Talk.
• 7:46
  I'm Ellie Ezra, and I'm here to remind you, you're not bad with money. You're probably running an entire household economy without enough support, language, or systems.
• 7:54
  So this week, spend smart, acquire assets, and run your household like the wealth-building machine it can be.
• 8:01
  Grab the free tool in the show notes, follow the show, and send this to a mom who's ready to stop budgeting crumbs and start owning a bakery. [outro music]