The Allianz
Women, Money,
and Power Study:
Empowered
and Underserved
Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America
Allianz Life Insurance Company of New York
ENT-1462-N
Page 1 of 12
. Women today:
New roles, new responsibilities,
and new financial needs
Methodology
In 2012, Allianz Life Insurance
Company of North America (Allianz)
commissioned Larson Research +
Strategy for a quantitative survey
using a respondent sample of 2,213
women, age 25-75, with household
incomes of $30,000 or higher.
Along with age breakouts,
subsegments surveyed included
six life stage groups:
• Single, never married, with children
• Single, never married, no children
• Divorced, with or without children
• Married, with or without children
• Widowed
• Partnered, living as married
Despite their rising workforce participation and escalating income, it appears
that American women still have major gaps and unmet needs when it comes
to achieving comfort and confidence with money.
Our survey indicates new and changing social dynamics have made the
so-called “typical family” anything but typical. Women may be choosing to
marry later – or to not marry at all. They may be having children on their own.
Nontraditional family structures are practically the norm – blended families,
stay-at-home dads, same-sex couples, aging parents moving in, children
returning after college.
As the definition and composition of families have changed,
so has the “traditional female role” with respect to money
and financial strategies
Whether by circumstance or by choice, women are finding themselves in roles
where they must be responsible for long-term financial needs and security.
These changes are creating new opportunities for financial services providers
who better understand and better respond to the financial needs for women.
The Allianz Women, Money, and Power Study: Empowered and Underserved
offers new insights on how women surveyed responded regarding their
current attitudes and behaviors; what women want and need; and how
financial professionals can better serve them. The results presented in this
paper represent the percentages of those women who responded to each
respective question or set of questions.
Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz) and Allianz Life Insurance Company of New York (Allianz Life® of NY) are affiliated companies.
Page 2 of 12
.
INSIGHT 1:
Women as the chief financial
officer of their households
One of the most dramatic findings of the study is that, in economic matters, the
balance of power appears to be shifting toward women. 57% of all women
reported they have more earning power than ever before, and almost two-thirds
(60%) of women reported they are the primary breadwinner in their households.
49%
OF WOMEN
REPORTED THEY HAVE
A GREAT DEAL OF
RESPONSIBILITY
FOR MAJOR
FINANCIAL DECISIONS
As women have become more empowered in the workplace, they have also
become more empowered in handling financial matters. Among all women who
responded, half (49%) say they have a great deal of responsibility for major financial
decisions. Over half say they are the primary decision-makers.
In fact, more than half of married women see themselves as the chief financial
officer of their households, implying that husbands and partners are not as influential
in financial matters as they used to be.
Two-thirds of women agree that women in
general cannot rely on a spouse to handle the investing. Almost as many women say
they have not learned a lot about financial matters from their husband or partner.
Women are significantly and increasingly involved in a broad
range of financial areas
Among all women who responded, 57% say they primarily handle major investment
decisions and retirement planning themselves. Almost as many (55%) say they
are the ones to research new investing or retirement ideas; even more (60%)
women say they handle tax preparation.
And 59% say they are the ones who
teach their children about money.
Women today overwhelmingly feel that they need to be much more involved
financially than in the past.
WHAT FINANCIAL TOPICS DO WOMEN
MOST WANT TO LEARN ABOUT?
HOW TO HAVE MY DESIRED LIFESTYLE IN RETIREMENT
85%
HOW TO GUARANTEE INCOME FOR LIFE
85%
HOW TO INVEST/PLAN FOR RETIREMENT ON A MODEST INCOME
75%
Percentage of respondents indicating this answer.
1
Page 3 of 12
. 90%OF
WOMEN
OF
INFLUENCE
REPORTED SAYING
INCREASED
FINANCIAL
INVOLVEMENT
HAS IMPROVED THEIR
QUALITY OF LIFE
What
makes a
Woman of
Influence?
Our survey responses indicate:
• She has more earning power.
• She’s active in major
investment decisions.
• She has a good understanding
of financial products.
• She’s interested in learning
about financial matters.
• She became more involved
since the 2008 financial crisis.
INSIGHT 2:
The rise of the
“Woman of Influence”
Has this sea change in how women relate to money given rise to a type of
woman who exemplifies today’s more empowered, informed, and active
woman, with respect to her financial destiny?
An important part of The 2013 Allianz Women, Money, and Power Study
was determining if indeed this type of woman could be identified, and
quantifying how large a subset of all women she represented. In our survey,
a respondent would qualify as a “Woman of Influence” based on her responses
to a selection of questions we felt were good indicators of her financial savvy
and empowerment.
Our findings confirm that Women of Influence represent a considerable
portion (20%) of women and are an enormous opportunity for both financial
professionals and the financial industry.
Women of Influence are distinguished by their higher incomes (an average
of $57,000 – 19% higher than the norm for women), and higher incidence
of post-graduate education. They also tend to be more successful in the
workplace, being 38% more likely to have their own business, and 90%
more likely to have achieved a director or vice president position.
Women of Influence have a higher need for financial
control, and more desire for increasing their
financial knowledge
They reported more confidence when it came to saving, spending, and
investing money wisely. In fact, compared to women in general, Women of
Influence are 25% more likely to feel financially secure.
They also tend to be
among the savviest about starting their retirement savings early – 47% of
Women of Influence begin saving while in their 20s.
Given this, it’s not surprising that Women of Influence are also 36% more likely
to have a financial professional, and credit their financial professional for
helping them feel more confident and prepared for their financial future;
helping them earn a better return; and helping them understand financial
terminology and issues better.
2
Page 4 of 12
. ALL
WOMEN
WOMEN OF
INFLUENCE
AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD INCOME
$91K
$101K
AVERAGE PERSONAL INCOME
$48K
$57K
MORE EARNING POWER THAN EVER
57%
70%
I FEEL CONFIDENT I’M SPENDING, SAVING, AND
INVESTING WISELY
69%
87%
BECOMING MORE FINANCIALLY KNOWLEDGEABLE
HAS MADE A REAL DIFFERENCE IN MY QUALITY OF LIFE
67%
90%
ALL WOMEN VS. WOMEN OF INFLUENCE
Percentage of respondents indicating this answer.
3
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. WOMEN IN
NONTRADITIONAL
FAMILIES SAY THEY
NEED TO BE
MORE ACTIVE
IN FINANCIAL
STRATEGIES
INSIGHT 3:
The modern family has put
more demands on women
The majority of households surveyed responded with at least one nontraditional
element (i.e., single mother, same-sex couple, parent or adult children in the
home), creating new demands and new roles for women.
Among those surveyed women currently married, 33% had already been through
a divorce. But an even greater number of divorced women – 42% – had never
remarried or partnered since. There are actually fewer women today who are
married than the combined number of women who are single or divorced.
About one in five of all women have chosen to live with their partner without
being married. Of these nonmarried-but-partnered women, 33% are in a
same-sex relationship.
Same-sex couples appear to have healthier relationships in
several financially related areas
Only 8% of women in same-sex relationships reported they had “a secret stash
of money my partner doesn’t know about.” Married women are twice as likely
to have secretly set aside money.
Married women are also five times as likely to
believe that making more money than their partner/spouse could create tension
in the relationship.
Among women in same-sex couples, 22% had children under 18 living at home.
Fully 80% of these same-sex couples reported that their nontraditional family
structure creates a whole new level of need for financial awareness – few of
them believe that their unique situation allows them to put off any serious
thinking about financial issues.
This view toward financial preparedness is shared by 92% of single mothers, who
agree that their situation has increased their need for more financial awareness.
4
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. No matter what their family situation, women feel that
the demands of children and families leave them too busy
to address financial strategies
Divorced women felt particularly overwhelmed, with 50% saying that financial
planning seems an impossible task in their lives.
Single women without children had a particular concern over long term care due
to their marital status – 65% said they worry about “who will take care of me in
old age?”
TODAY, MORE WOMEN ARE EITHER
SINGLE OR DIVORCED THAN MARRIED
SINGLE
24%
MARRIED
39%
DIVORCED
13%
WIDOWED
7%
PARTNERED/
NOT MARRIED
17%1
Percentage of respondents in each category.
1
33% of these are in a same-sex couple.
Another
family trend:
Grandparents and
adult children
in the household
• 17% of single women had
a parent or relative/friend living
in the house.
• 25% of divorced and widowed
women had a parent or relative/
friend living in the house.
• Nearly one in 10 families had
adult children (post-college or
working) still living at home.
5
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. OVER
INSIGHT 4:
90%
OF WOMEN
Women are hungry
for knowledge about
retirement planning
BELIEVE THEY
NEED TO BE
MORE INVOLVED
IN FINANCIAL
STRATEGIES
Across the board, clear majorities of women understand that greater financial
knowledge can help create more security in life.
For women who’ve divorced or lost a spouse, this was a particularly powerful
realization. Forty-eight percent of women said their divorce created a financial
crisis, and 64% say that it made them realize how important it is to be financially
aware and independent.
Women’s
use of
technology
These findings were even more dramatic for those widowed, who reported
us that losing their spouse was “a real wake-up call for me, financially” (61%).
An overwhelming 84% said it drove home the importance of being financially
aware and independent.
Women in general (and Women
of Influence in particular)
are quite savvy about using
smartphones, software, and
the Internet for online banking
and bill-paying, budgeting,
and tax preparation.
The financial crisis of 2008 had a similar impact on women in general,
spurring over 68% to become more active and involved in financial strategies,
retirement, and investment decisions.
Nearly two-thirds (62%) of women express strong interest
in learning more about finances and retirement planning
Even Women of Influence, who generally know a great deal on the subject,
want to learn more.
The Internet is by far the most
popular source for financial
information, cited by 54% of
women who responded.
BECOMING MORE INVOLVED
IN MANAGING MY FINANCIALS
HAS MADE A REAL DIFFERENCE
IN MY QUALITY OF LIFE
The number-one topic that women most want to learn about is how to have
their preferred lifestyle in retirement (chosen by 85% of all women). Still, about
12% of all women say they have not yet begun saving for retirement – a lack of
action with potentially huge implications for the future.
TOTAL
SINGLE
MARRIED
DIVORCED
WIDOWED
SAME-SEX
COUPLE
WOMAN OF
INFLUENCE
67%
63%
64%
70%
67%
67%
90%
Percentage of respondents agreeing this statement describes them.
6
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. INSIGHT 5:
49% OF WOMEN FEAR
“Bag lady” fears persist
among even the most
successful women
ENDING UP
One of the most stunning outcomes of this survey was the discovery of an
irrational fear that extends to women across all corners of life and affluence.
BROKE
AND HOMELESS
DEEP DOWN, I WORRY ABOUT
BECOMING A BAG LADY
SINGLE
Almost half of all women who responded said they “often” or “sometimes” fear
losing all their money and becoming homeless. And this is not just found in
lower income levels. 27% of the higher income-earners ($200,000+) said they
worry about becoming a “bag lady.” Even 46% of Women of Influence, who
generally are less worried about their retirement savings, can’t shake this fear.
56%
MARRIED
43%
DIVORCED
The pervasiveness of this worry may point to a deep-set
financial insecurity that seems to be particular to women
In fact, after the fear of losing a spouse, the thought of running out of money in
retirement is what 57% of women say keeps them up at night.
Lack of adequate retirement savings is the number-one issue affecting women’s
outlook on retirement – even more than worries about the future of Social
Security (the number-three issue), which seems to indicate a widespread
realization that personal assets will be the key to a comfortable retirement.
It’s an especially worrisome issue among same-sex couples (56%), single women
(57%), and divorced women (57%).
55%
WIDOWED
48%
$200K+ HOUSEHOLD INCOME
27%
WOMAN OF INFLUENCE
46%
Percentages of respondents answering “often” or “sometimes.”
7
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. 54%
OF WOMEN
STILL BELIEVE THE
FINANCIAL INDUSTRY
IS GEARED
TO MEN
INSIGHT 6:
Women are being
underserved by the
financial industry
Despite their growing economic power and influence, women continue to be
poorly served by the financial industry which, as a whole, is still perceived as
being oriented more toward serving men.
Virtually all groups of women who responded feel alienated, especially divorced
women, women in same-sex relationships, and Women of Influence.
Another major problem is that women largely believe financial advice and
materials are geared only toward the wealthy.
Approximately one in five women – and almost a third of divorced women –
say their belief that “financial strategies are for people who have more money
than me” is a major barrier to getting more involved.
62% of women still don’t have a financial professional
Even among those who do, over 69% of those women do not view their financial
professional as a go-to source for information on how to spend, save, and invest.
Financial professionals placed a distant second to the Internet as a source for
financial information.
(Women of Influence are somewhat bigger believers in having a financial
professional, though still less than half see theirs as a go-to source.)
MY INVESTMENT PROFESSIONAL
IS MY GO-TO SOURCE FOR
INFORMATION ON SAVING,
SPENDING, AND INVESTING
SINGLE
MARRIED
DIVORCED
WIDOWED
SAME-SEX
COUPLE
WOMAN OF
INFLUENCE
30%
31%
31%
45%
31%
45%
Percentage of participants saying this statement describes them “well” or “extremely well.”
8
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. Women want a different way of learning
To make inroads in this market, we believe financial professionals need to understand
that for many women, service-related issues are as important as concerns about
returns on investments. Women place a high value on interpersonal skills and feeling
personally cared about. They are put off by a lack of responsiveness and the sense
that they’re simply getting cookie-cutter solutions.
It appears there’s also a need for more engaging and more clearly written materials.
The majority of women find most financial information hard to understand, dull, and
boring – even Women of Influence feel information is hard to comprehend.
Women who responded to the survey tend to prefer a more social way of learning
that’s based in relatability and affordability (free or at minimal cost). This includes
learning in a non-intimidating environment with other women, and learning
in a group with others of similar life experience (divorced, widowed, same-sex
relationship, etc.).
Group learning and role modeling could help dispel a shockingly persistent
stereotype women themselves hold regarding financially savvy women.
Over 40% of
women who responded said they think that being financially independent will make
them intimidating and unattractive to men, and almost a third responded it can
alienate other women.
There’s still much work to do in assuring women that being
financially capable can have a hugely positive impact on their
confidence, long-term security, and enjoyment of life
It’s also worth noting that, while women generally want to become more involved in
their financial strategies, the need for the high-touch, full-service approach still exists:
Nearly one in five women who responded openly admit that they “just want someone
else to do this for them.” Clearly, financial professionals who can better orient their
service toward the needs of women clients will find many new opportunities.
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Who chooses
the financial
professional?
Married women have a high
involvement, but women in
partnerships (including same-sex
partnerships) hold even more
influence. Referrals (particularly
from a friend) are the single most
important factor – women almost
never use the Internet to find a
financial professional.
. True to our promises …
so you can be true to yours.
®
As leading providers of annuities and life insurance, Allianz Life Insurance Company
of North America (Allianz) and its subsidiary, Allianz Life Insurance Company of
New York (Allianz Life® of NY), base each decision on a philosophy of being true:
True to our strength as an important part of a leading global financial organization.
True to our passion for making wise investment decisions. And true to the people
we serve, each and every day.
Through a line of innovative products and a network of trusted financial
professionals, Allianz and Allianz Life of NY together help people as they seek to
achieve their financial and retirement goals. Founded in 1896, Allianz, together with
Allianz Life of NY, is proud to play a vital role in the success of our global parent,
Allianz SE, one of the world’s largest financial services companies.
While we pride ourselves on our financial strength, we’re made of much more than
our balance sheet. We believe in making a difference with our clients by being true
to our commitments and keeping our promises.
People rely on Allianz and Allianz
Life of NY today and count on us for tomorrow – when they need us most.
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purchased, or any affiliates of those entities and none makes any representations or guarantees regarding the claims-paying ability of Allianz
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or NCUA/NCUSIF
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MN 55416-1297. www.allianzlife.com.
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Product and feature availability may vary by state and broker/dealer.
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(R-3/2015)
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