One-third of Women Investors Call Advisors Condescending

A Nationwide Retirement Institute/Harris Poll survey conducted Jan. 15–Feb. 6, 2026, found that 34% of women investors who work with advisors said their financial advisor was condescending when explaining recommendations or responding to questions.

The survey reported that 95% of women investors feel they are treated with the same respect as male clients, but noted specific communication issues: 32% said advisors assumed they knew less about finances than they did, and 29% said advisors sometimes “mansplained” concepts.

Among the 528 advisors surveyed, 91% expressed confidence in their ability to meet women investors’ needs and expectations. At the same time, 37% said they understood women clients’ financial and retirement goals. One-quarter of advisors reported receiving training on the unique financial challenges women face.

The study surveyed 2,012 investors, including 421 women investors who worked with advisors, and 528 advisors, including 119 women advisors.

Jillian Berry, senior director of RFG Advisory’s StrongHer Money program, urged advisors to review how they engage with women clients and to examine office environments to make meetings more welcoming, saying, “As women, I feel like we have been conditioned to tolerate a lower bar, and those numbers speak to that.”

Suzanne Ricklin, senior vice president of Nationwide Retirement Solutions Distribution, recommended that advisors move from explaining toward asking questions and listening, stating, “When advisors shift their emphasis from explaining to asking questions and listening to what is most important to their women clients, they can build stronger relationships and more aligned goals.”

The institute noted additional research indicating that women frequently seek referrals from other women when choosing financial advisors, and that poor or infrequent communication can prompt clients to change advisors.