Examining Behavioural Aspects of Financial Decision Making: The Working Women Perspective

Abstract

In the challenging and volatile financial markets, an investor needs to change his financial objectives frequently, leading to a diversified portfolio of investments. The financial future of the individual investor depends on his rational decisionmaking. This research aims to evaluate various determinants of financial decision-making concerning working women in the National Capital Region, India. It examines the association of financial literacy, personal finance planning, and riskbehaviour with the financial decision-making of working females. The research also studies the different exogenous variables of financial literacy, including financial attitude (FA), financial behaviour (FB) and financial knowledge (FK). It utilises a quantitative approach for predicting relationships between the identified variables. The study is based on primary data collected through a structured questionnaire designed on a 5-point Likert scale and was analysed through a partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) approach. The study results suggest a positive and significant association of financial literacy and personal finance planning with financial decision-making by working women. On the other hand, risk behaviour negatively affects financial decision-making. The findings also reveal that all three exogenous variables, financial attitude, financial behaviour and financial knowledge, have a strong relationship with financial literacy. The research is relevant for individual women investing in various financial avenues to take better decisions. This study also benefits financial managers and institutions to target as women are potential investors in a developing country like India.

Keywords

• financial decision-making
• financial literacy
• personal financial planning
• risk behavior
• working women