Although it may be tempting to casually split the population of investors in half and size up each group with a mental checklist, life is never that simple. And neither is investing. The financial industry needs to be smarter about the impact of gender on investment decisions. A deeper understanding of the influence of gender helps advisors to better engage all investors. Above all, we are individuals; our behaviors are not predetermined by our genes.
True gender intelligence means understanding the ways in which biological and environmental components influence each client’s decision process, how they view money, and their short- and long-term goals. Advisors can help clients make the right choices based on informed discoveries—not self-rationalization.
Consider how differences in brain functioning might apply to the investment decision process, when factoring in gender.

Decision-making process: Women tend to rely on others for investing information and are more likely to make decisions collectively, whereas men tend to follow a more straightforward decision process, collecting their own investing information and making decisions independently.

Communication: Women are more likely to place a higher value on communication that supports their decision process. And because they are skilled at integrating or processing that additional information, they are able to decipher even contradictory information. Men are often more likely to disregard information that conflicts with their basic views.

Risk: Men are more motivated by short-term goals, leading them to take risks to achieve those goals. Women, on the other hand, are motivated to avoid risk, even if that means a longer decision process.

Emotion: Both men and women are subject to emotional influences that can have positive or negative implications for their investing habits. These emotional influences are not predictors of success or failure as an investor—the outcome depends on many factors, including an investor’s self-awareness of their emotional influences.

Investment time horizon: Women tend to make investment decisions geared to their longer-term goals, whereas men tend to focus on shorter-term, tactical decisions.

Applying research to practice -
Self-confidence can be enhanced or weakened by experience. Understanding the client’s life experiences, and how gender may influence perception, can help advisors foster the client’s self-confidence, encourage them in owning the decision-making process and ultimately lead to connecting with clients on a more meaningful level.
Biological and environmental influences shape many aspects of how men and women invest, but it’s the common strengths of successful long-term investors that matter most: They save more, they stick to long-term goals, they manage their emotional biases and they never stop learning.
Understanding the influence of gender on investment decisions is not about pitting female investors against male investors; it’s about fostering greater gender intelligence for all investors. This more inclusive perspective opens up opportunities for advisors to demonstrate a collaborative and individualized style to all clients and prospects. It may take more time and effort on the part of advisors to engage clients at this deeper level, but this is where the advisor can truly differentiate in what really matters to each individual—their values, their needs, their concerns and their goals.

For more read 'Closing the Gender Gap of Advice'.

Source: Forbes 2017
https://www.forbes.com/sites/spdr/2017/03/20/get-smarter-about-gender-intelligence/#56ab853a2d08