51% of women in India prefer low-risk financial instruments; only 7% invest in stocks: Survey
fixed deposits and savings accounts, followed by 16% in gold, 15% in mutual funds, 10% in real estate and 7% in stocks, a new survey shows.
The survey, conducted by DBS Bank India and CRISIL, is in line with the behaviour trends from DBS Bank India’s own customer insights, which showed 10% of female customers have an active fixed deposit (FD) account compared with 5% for male customers.
The presence of dependents is seen to play a major role in women’s investment behaviour. About 43% of married women with dependents conservatively allocate 10-29% of their income to investing, according to the survey. In contrast, a quarter of the married women without dependents choose to invest over half of their income.
Regional variations lend greater depth to the insights. For example, Hyderabad and Mumbai lead the way in credit card usage, with 96% of women in Mumbai relying on credit cards, while only 63% of women in Kolkata use them.
According to the report, half of the salaried women said they have never taken a loan. Among those who have borrowed, the majority opted for a home loan, which reflects the deep cultural importance associated with homeownership in India.
The study titled “Women and Finance”, conducted by DBS Bank India in partnership with CRISIL, aims to understand the way urban Indian women plan, prioritise and manage their money.
It reveals the financial preferences of women, both salaried and self-employed, across the different stages of life.
More than 800 women were surveyed across 10 cities in India on a wide range of behaviours, including their involvement in financial decision-making, setting of goals, saving and investing patterns,
