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Financial Knowledge among Educated Women: Room for Improvement

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  • MAHNAZ MAHDAVI
  • NICHOLAS J. HORTON

Abstract

type="main" xml:id="joca12032-abs-0001"> We examined financial knowledge among educated women with at least a bachelor's degree by analyzing the results from a 2009 survey representing a well-defined sample ( N = 4,344) of alumnae from a highly selective liberal arts college for women. This study found modest levels of financial knowledge with wide variation. Specifically, in the sample of alumnae, respondents in an older cohort, with higher household income, and those who obtained an MBA degree exhibit higher levels of financial knowledge. These results highlighted the need for effective financial education for many college-educated women.

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  • Mahnaz Mahdavi & Nicholas J. Horton, 2014. "Financial Knowledge among Educated Women: Room for Improvement," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(2), pages 403-417, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jconsa:v:48:y:2014:i:2:p:403-417
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/joca.12032
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    4. Tabea Bucher-Koenen & Rob Alessie & Annamaria Lusardi & Maarten van Rooij, 2021. "Fearless Woman. Financial Literacy and Stock Market Participation," Working Papers 708, DNB.
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    6. Yoshihiko Kadoya & Naheed Rabbani & Mostafa Saidur Rahim Khan, 2022. "Insurance literacy among older people in Japan: The role of socio‐economic status," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(2), pages 788-805, June.
    7. Alfonso Arellano & Noelia Camara & David Tuesta, 2015. "Explaining the Gender Gap in Financial Literacy: the Role of Non-Cognitive Skills," Working Papers 15/32, BBVA Bank, Economic Research Department.
    8. Annamaria Lusardi & Olivia S. Mitchell, 2014. "The Economic Importance of Financial Literacy: Theory and Evidence," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 52(1), pages 5-44, March.
    9. Antonia Grohmann & Annekathrin Schoofs, 2018. "Financial Literacy and Intra-Household Decision Making: Evidence from Rwanda," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1720, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    10. M. M. Naeser Seldal & Ellen K. Nyhus, 2022. "Financial Vulnerability, Financial Literacy, and the Use of Digital Payment Technologies," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 45(2), pages 281-306, June.
    11. Paraboni, Ana Luiza & da Costa, Newton, 2021. "Improving the level of financial literacy and the influence of the cognitive ability in this process," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    12. Grohmann, Antonia & Hübler, Olaf & Kouwenberg, Roy & Menkhoff, Lukas, 2021. "Financial literacy: Thai middle-class women do not lag behind," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(C).
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    14. Marie-Hélène BROIHANNE, 2021. "Testing the gender gap in subjective financial literacy of spouses," Working Papers of LaRGE Research Center 2021-08, Laboratoire de Recherche en Gestion et Economie (LaRGE), Université de Strasbourg.
    15. Alfonso Arellano & Noelia Camara & David Tuesta, 2014. "The effect of self-confidence on financial literacy," Working Papers 1428, BBVA Bank, Economic Research Department.
    16. Zhou, Yang & Yang, Manfang & Gan, Xu, 2023. "Education and financial literacy: Evidence from compulsory schooling law in China," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 335-346.
    17. Tracey West & Michelle Cull, 2020. "Future Expectations and Financial Satisfaction," Economic Papers, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 39(4), pages 318-335, December.
    18. Davoli, Maddalena & Rodríguez-Planas, Núria, 2020. "Culture and adult financial literacy: Evidence from the United States," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
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    20. José J. Cao‐Alvira & Amalia Novoa‐Hoyos & Alexander Núñez‐Torres, 2021. "On the financial literacy, indebtedness, and wealth of Colombian households," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(2), pages 978-993, May.
    21. Laura Hospido & Sara Izquierdo & Margarita Machelett, 2021. "The gender gap in financial competences (556 KB)," Economic Bulletin, Banco de España, issue 1/2021.
    22. Bahovec Vlasta & Barbić Dajana & Palić Irena, 2017. "The Regression Analysis of Individual Financial Performance: Evidence from Croatia," Business Systems Research, Sciendo, vol. 8(2), pages 1-13, September.
    23. Maddalena Davoli, 2023. "A, B, or C? Question Format and the Gender Gap in Financial Literacy," Economics of Education Working Paper Series 0206, University of Zurich, Department of Business Administration (IBW).
    24. Shohei Okamoto & Kohei Komamura, 2021. "Age, gender, and financial literacy in Japan," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(11), pages 1-20, November.
    25. Esther Yin-Nei Cho, 2024. "A qualitative investigation of financial decision-making and enabling factors among ethnic minority young adults in Hong Kong," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-15, December.

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