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The Gender Gap in Financial Literacy—The Role of Response Behavior

Lucy Haag et al.

Journal of Consumer Affairs2026https://doi.org/10.1111/joca.70045article
AJG 1ABDC A
Weight
0.50

Abstract

The gender gap in financial literacy favoring men is a well‐documented phenomenon. Research reveals that women more frequently opt for the “do not know” (DK) response option than men. As the gender gap in financial literacy is evident at a young age and should be counteracted early, we focus on a sample of German adolescents ( N = 1958) and investigate which factors are relevant for the decision to select the DK option. Applying regression and decomposition analyses, our study results confirm a substantial gender gap both in financial literacy scores and in the tendency to choose DK. If respondents are not offered a DK option, the gender gap significantly decreases. The decision to select DK can be partly explained by girls' lower math scores and less interest in economics. Our results contribute to the literature by examining factors associated with picking DK in a young sample, offering policy implications regarding targeted programs.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/joca.70045

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@article{lucy2026,
  title        = {{The Gender Gap in Financial Literacy—The Role of Response Behavior}},
  author       = {Lucy Haag et al.},
  journal      = {Journal of Consumer Affairs},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/joca.70045},
}

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The Gender Gap in Financial Literacy—The Role of Response Behavior

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

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