Looking for an expert on investing to give comment on female investors and why more women should invest.

I understand the hesitation because I lived it. I was an investment manager responsible for investing millions of pounds for other people, yet for the first few years I didn't invest my own money.

Investing has traditionally felt very male dominated. The language can be intimidating, the industry is still heavily associated with men, and women are often more conscious of the risk of losing money. That can make keeping cash feel safer, even when doing nothing carries its own risk.

Women don't need to become stock market experts to invest. Starting small, investing regularly and thinking long term can make an enormous difference. For women especially, with career breaks, the gender pay gap and longer life expectancy, making our money work harder isn't a luxury, it's an important part of building financial independence.

As a female investor (though not a professional one) I think there are two strong reasons more women should invest. First, investing is a form of influence. I will not see true equality at board level in my lifetime, but I can choose which companies I support, who sits on their boards and whether their values align with mine. That is one way women can exercise real economic power. Second, investing can help protect spending power. Women may feel that high-interest savings account may feel safe, but over time inflation can still erode the value of your money. Investing gives it the chance to work harder.

There is a strange paradox in investing - some of the behaviours that may make women less likely to invest can make them excellent investors once they do. Fidelity's 10 year analysis of more than 5 million accounts found women outperformed men by around 40 basis points a year, while academic research found men traded around 45% more than women, with overconfident excess trading eating into returns.

The barrier isn't ability, but often confidence - and an industry that has traditionally looked and sounded very male. Investing is still too often presented as overly complicated, competitive, and requiring specialist knowledge.

Successful investing is usually about patience, diversification, and staying invested. Women don't need to become more like stereotypical male investors to participate. Investing would benefit from more men adopting some of the behaviours women already demonstrate.