Financial literacy of finance students: a behavioral gender gap

Purpose We aim to investigate the relationship between gender and financial literacy, hypothesizing that a gender gap in attitude, knowledge and behavior might exist among university students, but it disappears at higher levels of financial education, particularly due to a talent management program in financial mathematics. Design/methodology/approach We analyze survey data from 229 Hungarian undergraduate university students specializing in finance. In the multivariate regression models, the independent variables are proxies for financial literacy and the key variables of interest are gender and participation in a talent management program, controlling for various socio-economic, psychological and behavioral variables. Findings We do not observe any gender gap in financial knowledge and attitudes among undergraduate finance students. However, female students are approximately 10% less likely than males to explore highly advantageous financial opportunities, even when all other characteristics like lifestyle, study performance, psychological traits, attitudes and knowledge are equal. This behavioral gender gap persists even among students who participate in the talent management program. Practical implications We propose that university program designers and finance educators place particular emphasis on addressing the behavioral aspects of financial literacy through gender-sensitive educational programs. Originality/value We contribute to the literature by comparing finance students’ financial literacy across knowledge, attitudes and behavior dimensions according to their gender and in a talent management program participation. Contrary to previous studies, we do not find a gender difference in the first two components, knowledge and attitudes. However, we provide evidence of a significant behavioral gender gap related to a long-lasting arbitrage opportunity.