Latest Poll – Gender not the Issue

Quality of advice trumps gender when it comes to talking about how to deliver better outcomes for Australian consumers.

This appears to be the message from advisers who have taken part in our poll so far, which asks about female proportional representation within Australia’s adviser community.

To date, 57% agree there should be an equal representation of female to male advisers in Australia’s financial services sector, while 41% disagree with this statement. But the adviser responses so far emphasise the issue of quality, rather than gender. For example:

“If more women decide to enter the profession and start their own business, that is always good news.”

This adviser adds that some of the best advisers he has met are women, but he doesn’t believe gender denotes their ability:

“What I would be against is any impediment to women entering the profession and any discrimination that flows from that.”

… it is not the number of people of either gender which is important, it is the competence.

And this:

“… it is not the number of people of either gender which is important, it is the competence. In any field, whether all female, all male, or any other balance, that would be fine as long as they are the most competent and professional people available.”

These comments give perspective to this gender-related poll topic, and make good sense. However the proportionate gender disparity within adviser numbers continues, and as we leave this pol open for another week, we continue to seek your views…