Research reveals women are taking control of their finances

Research by leading price comparison website, MoneySuperMarket shows that an average of 52,000 credit enquires a month came from women in 2017.

Figures also reveal that women have made 44% of all mortgage enquiries so far in 2018.

With women’s rights at the centre of global news, MoneySuperMarket has analysed years of credit card, mortgage and business insurance data to understand how women are choosing to manage their finances in the 21st century.

Some findings include:

• Single women are most likely to take out a credit card, with 52,000 enquiries per month in 2017

• Women aged 18-25 account for 48% of mortgage enquiries compared to 52% of men in the same age bracket

• 47% of women are solely responsible for their household bills

The research shows that, as few as 50 years ago, credit cards were mainly owned and used by men, with women predominantly struggling to secure any form of credit unless they had the signature of a male guarantor.

However, MoneySuperMarket data shows that women aged 25-34 are responsible for 40% of all credit card enquiries in the past five years (2013 to present day), while those aged 18-24 account for an average of 16%.4 In fact, nearly two thirds (63%) of women now hold a credit card in their own name.

The data also highlights that single women are most likely to take out a credit card, with an average of 52,000 enquiries a month in 2017 – peaking at 60,000 enquiries in January 2018

It would appear that more and more women are seeking financial independence, with the under 35s in particular dominating the credit card market.

Before the introduction of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, women were unable to take out a mortgage without a male guarantor.

Since then, more women have begun to own properties – 78,987 women have enquired for a mortgage so far in 2018, making up 44% of all mortgage enquiries this year.

The ratio between men and women taking out mortgages in the 18-25 bracket has also started to close, with men accounting for 52% and women accounting for 48% of all mortgage enquiries in 2018 so far.

More women are also becoming self-employed, with the number of women taking out business insurance increasing by 42% from 2015 to 2017.

When looking into the sector split, the research shows that over 41% of people who took out business insurance for pubs were women, which jumps to over 50% for shops.

Research also reveals that women are now marginally more likely to hold a savings account in their own name than men (70% compared to 67%).

It found that 81% of women have a personal current account, with women in London having the highest percentage of current accounts across the UK (90%).

It showed that just under half (47%) of women are now solely responsible for household bills, yet only 43% feel confident when it comes to managing their finances, compared to 53% of men.

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