International Women's Day Edition

This Sunday is International Women's Day — and while there's plenty to celebrate, there's a financial story quietly unfolding beneath the surface that most people don't see until it's almost too late.

The System Was Never Built For Her

Here's a number worth sitting with: On an annual basis, women take home just 71 cents on the dollar — and it compounds from there. About 90% of Canadian mothers took parental leave in 2017. Only 12% of fathers did. Every year away means fewer CPP contributions, missed pension accrual, and RRSP room that quietly disappears.

Then comes the second squeeze. An estimated 700,000 Canadians are simultaneously caring for both children and aging parents — and the majority are women. Nearly half are delaying retirement to do it. It's a labour of love. It's also a financial trap.

The Number Nobody's Talking About

More than 1 in 3 Canadian women between 55 and 64 have zero retirement savings. Not a little. Zero.

And the gender pension gap isn't shrinking — it was 15% in 1976 and sits at 17% today. Women also live an average of four years longer than men. So they need more money, have less of it, and need to stretch it further. That's not a personal finance problem. It's a structural one.

The Twist That Changes Everything

When women do invest, they outperform men. A Fidelity study of 5 million accounts found women beat men by 0.4% annually. A Warwick Business School study put the gap at 1.8% — a difference that, compounded over 30 years, could mean a portfolio 25% larger. Women trade less, panic less, and diversify more. The irony? They report less confidence doing it.

The problem isn't ability. It's participation.

Start the Conversation Today

The best investment this International Women's Day is a conversation — with a daughter, a niece, a colleague, or yourself. And the earlier a young woman learns them, the more time the math has to work in her favour.

"Educating girls is not just about giving them knowledge; it's about giving them the power to shape their own futures." — Malala Yousafzai