According to a new survey, Americans would trust their health to a woman doctor but they wouldn’t trust their cars to a female mechanic. Are they comfortable having a woman as a financial advisor?
Women have made great strides in the fields of medicine, but not in the male bastions of automotive repair or household contracting. The good news for female advisors is that they are well trusted at financial management, a new study shows.
“There are definitely fewer women in the industry than there are men, so it’s good to see that,” said Christine Conway, an advisor with Braun Financial Services in New Westminister, BC.
The joint survey conducted by Vanity Fair and CBS’ 60 Minutes asked Americans in which professions they would be comfortable in being served by a female practitioner. It found that that nearly half – 43% of men and 52% of women – would be comfortable with a woman as their doctor. Next up were financial planner at 18%, “all of the above” at 12%, and “your boss” 11%.
Conway adds that many clients value the feminine touch. "Clients really tend to value an empathetic approach and I think females naturally gravitate toward that,” she said. “Not that I’m suggesting that men can’t be incredible advisors.”
The professions in which Americians are least comfortable having women serve are car mechanic with just 3% and contractor at 2%. “Women have made great strides across the board but when it comes to fixing our cars and to a lesser degree our houses, it appears that it's still a man's world,” the report said.
Aside from the employment related questions, most of the survey questions were focused on finding out what Americans think makes a perfect woman.
