Episode 17 - Why Indian women are missing from the investment game? - Shikha Gupta and Mona Sehgal

She earns ₹50,000 per month. She saves ₹15,000. But when it comes to investing? "Ask my husband/father/brother."

In this eye-opening episode of What the Gap, we're exposing why Indian women - despite earning, saving, and managing household budgets—are MISSING from the investment game. Women hold ₹11.25 lakh crore in mutual funds, BUT that's only 33% of total investor AUM. Only 21% of women are financially literate vs 29% of men.

And here's the kicker: Even when women EARN money, they often don't control how it's INVESTED. Gen X women fought for the right to work. Gen Z women are fighting for the right to invest their OWN money. But cultural barriers, financial illiteracy, and family dynamics are keeping lakhs of crores OUT of women's hands. Let's fix this.

#whatthegap #womeninvestors #financialliteracy #genzvsgenx #womenempowerment #investmentindia #gendergap #genderequality #womenrights #financialequality #empowerwomen #womenleadership #genderparity

00:00 - 01:30 - Intro: Women vs Men in Investing – What Is the Real Gap?
01:31 - 04:20 - Women Are Natural Money Managers, So Why Not Investors?
04:21 - 08:10 - Why Financial Conversations Exclude Women at Home
08:11 - 11:40 - Fear of Financial Jargon & Lack of Confidence
11:41 - 15:10 - Shocking Reality: Working Women Earn but Don’t Decide
15:11 - 18:20 - Grassroots Women Who Manage Money Better Than We Think
18:21 - 21:30 - Marriage, Money & Why Financial Awareness Becomes Critical
21:31 - 26:10 - Learning Finance Early: Pocket Money, Budgeting & Habits
26:11 - 30:10 - Simple Solutions: How Women Can Start Investing Confidently
30:11 - 32:56 - Final Takeaway: The Gap Is Confidence, Not Capability

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Hear us on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/79SFo95...

Credits:
Shikha Gupta – Gen Z co-host, bringing in the chaos, hot takes, and occasional existential crises
  / shikhagupta29  

Mona Sehgal – Gen X co-host, dropping wisdom bombs, reality checks, and savage comebacks
  / 04mona21  

Produced by: Podcast Castle, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi
  / podcastcastlestudios  

Creative team: Sumati Gauniyal
  / gauniyall  

Disclaimer: Welcome to What the Gap - where two generations try to decode the world, one random topic (and one inevitable eye-roll) at a time. We chat in good faith, but accuracy, completeness, and reliability are not included in the package - so please don’t quote us in your thesis, or use our lines to win family debates, or blame us if your argument fails at home. Expect sarcasm, puns, and healthy intergenerational disagreements. Listener discretion advised. If you laugh, cringe, or suddenly rethink your life choices while watching… that’s entirely on you 😉