In findings published on Thursday 30 October, the Bruegel think-tank examined the gender-related wealth disparities in the EU.
Four waves of the European Central Bank’s Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS), from 2010 to 2021, provide a basis for studying the situation of single, never-married individuals aged between 25 and 65 with no children.
Women’s wealth remains slightly lower than men’s (91% on average, and 92% at the median level).
However, while the differences are small among the less wealthy, they become more pronounced among the middle class and the wealthiest individuals. Among the wealthiest individuals, the gap reaches between 25% and 40%.
This phenomenon, which has intensified over the years, can be explained in particular by different financial behaviour.
Men are more likely to own property, be entrepreneurs or invest in risky assets, while women prefer lower-risk investments.
Furthermore, it should also be pointed out that there are significant disparities between Member States in terms of inheritance regimes, access to property, career paths and investment behaviour.
Read the analysis: https://aeur.eu/f/jcg (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)