When we talk about investing, banking, and the overall Financial market – for a lot of women they think it is predominantly a “man’s world” and they are in large part correct. Hearing phrases like ‘high risk’ can sound intimidating especially to those whose knowledge about finance is limited.
The Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) has opened its doors to the public; however, only a small amount of women actively participate. According to the Angel Investment Participation Report, roughly 28-30% of their investors in Jamaica are women.
It is not surprising that women across the world are less inclined to pursue a career in finance as opposed to their male counterparts. Throughout history men were seen as the breadwinner; they controlled the household income while women had little financial input.
Due to the absence of involvement women had in financial affairs, the by-product of such has led to a lack of confidence and financial literacy among women.
Lack of female representation is among the many reasons why women have not been as progressive as men in the financial arena.
Women need more female mentors that can tutor them in the area of finance; women who have had much exposure and success in the market and are able to pass on their financial prowess to other women.
My first experience with the stock market is similar to that of many other young women; uncertain and with little knowledge. I was not sure how it all worked. I just knew I wanted to generate a passive income and the stock market was the first avenue I chose to begin my journey.
Before I became a shareholder, I did a very detailed research into each company I was interested in before carefully making my selection.
A few of the qualities that impacted which venture I chose to invest in were the leadership/CEOs; the strengths of the business; customer service; the why for each business and is it Jamaican-owned.
No one had taught me about the stock market, so it was all new territory for me. Unlike my male colleagues, investing and trading seemed to be second nature to them.
I began investing a manageable portion of my income from my 9-5 every month, purchasing stocks from five companies on the JSE Market.
As my knowledge and experience increased, I began to add one more company every six or seven months to grow my portfolio in order to yield more dividends over time as another source of income.
Things and times are changing. Although men are still dominating the world of finance, more and more women are breaking barriers and seeking opportunities to find and learn about business and finance from mentors to help guide them.
“When I allowed myself to be the boldest version of myself, I realized I was more willing to take risks to be more powerful and my true capacity was unleashed” – Kerry Gohman
