Let’s talk about women and investing

When we stop and think about the term investor, what typically comes to mind? A white, wealthy man in a suit, right? We see it in movies. We read about it in the news. The idea of investing, or the term investor, has become synonymous with men. But Robinhood customers are changing that, and women are a key group driving this change.

This International Women’s Day, we are celebrating this change and doubling down on Robinhood’s mission to democratize finance for all.

The number of women Robinhood customers nearly quadrupled between February 2020 and February 2021. In other words, that is a 369 percent year-over-year increase in women using the Robinhood platform, and now women make up nearly 30 percent of active Robinhood customers.

While this change is good to see, there remains much to be done. Systemic barriers still exist for women (and other underserved groups) and our research tells us they feel less empowered to invest. Fewer than one in five women have a brokerage account and most have never invested at all. These stats are even worse when we focus solely on people and women of color.

At Robinhood, we’re building a new generation of investors, and we’re committed to finding ways to help reduce these barriers. We strive to create more opportunity for more people to invest. To close the gender gap by breaking down barriers. And to change the perception of who everyday investors are. From fractional shares to recurring investments, we offer tools to help women, and everyone, start their investing journeys.

We know an investor can look like anyone, and the identity of an investor is not linear nor binary. Telling these stories is a core part of living up to our mission. We’re celebrating everyone, highlighting who our customers are and recognizing everyone’s lives or circumstances are different. After all, we are all investors.