The Gender Justification Gap is real (and exhausting)
Judged for spending. Patronised for saving. Here’s how financial bias chips away at confidence, and what needs to change.
I’ve justified a lot in my time.
Why I needed a third coffee. Why I spent £27 on mascara. Why I left a stable job to freelance (and then cried in Pret).
But the one thing I’ve had to justify the most?
Money.
Not just how I spend it, but how I think about it.
If I’m being ‘too cautious’. If I’m being ‘too confident’. If I’m even ‘allowed’ to call myself good with money.
And apparently, I’m not alone.
Welcome to the Gender Justification Gap
New research from Plum reveals that over half of Gen Z women (53%) feel pressured to justify their spending decisions. And it’s not just about what we buy; it’s the constant background (and mental) noise of feeling judged for how we handle money altogether.
Meanwhile (girls, prepare your surprised faces), only 4% of people describe men’s financial behaviour as emotional. For women? That figure jumps to 56%.
Author’s note: I tried my best at pulling a surprised face here, but I just couldn’t muster it.
No wonder 38% of young women have secret savings pockets. Not because they’re hiding something shady, but because having something for yourself can feel safer than having to explain why you need it in the first place.
A budget isn’t just a budget. It’s a shield
When you’re constantly fielding questions, defending your choices or being talked down to (girl math trend, we’re looking at you), confidence doesn’t always come from knowing the right numbers. It comes from knowing you don’t have to ask for permission.
Because the truth is, 75% of women say they feel confident about saving… but only 35% feel the same confidence when it comes to investing.
This confidence gap isn’t about ability. It’s about access. Language. Culture. Feeling like the room was never made for you.
It’s not about blame, it’s about bias
As Dr Justyna Robinson puts it:
And once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
From school to work to WhatsApp chats, women are more likely to be spoken to with polite advice, gentle warnings and the kind of emotional framing that sounds helpful, but quietly sidelines us from the big conversations.
So, what do we do?
Well, we start small.
We talk back.
We normalise saving and spending.
We ditch the shame.
We stop apologising for having money goals… or for feeling good when we reach them.
And if you want some language to help with that, Plum and Dr Justyna Robinson have put together a free Confidence Toolkit. Not as a fix-all, but as a companion. A space to rebuild that shaky confidence, one tiny win at a time.
And if you’ve ever felt the need to shrink your goals, soften your tone or hide your savings app like it’s a dirty secret, this post is for you.
I see you.
I’m with you.
And I think it’s time we stop asking for permission and start owning money decisions out loud.
What’s one money move you’ve made that felt bold, even if no one else saw it that way? I’m all ears.
If you know someone who could benefit from the confidence toolkit and deserves to take control of their money out loud, send this post their way. You never know what change you could inspire.
This is a diary, not a guidebook. No financial advice here.
Data from nationally representative survey of 2,000 from Censuswide, July 2025.