Investment Preferences of Salaried Women: An Empirical Study of Saurashtra Region

The investment preferences of salaried women in Gujarat's Saurashtra region are examined in this empirical study. Policymakers, financial organizations, and educators now need to understand women's investment Behavior due to their increasing participation in the labour and changing financial roles. Primary data were acquired from 250 salaried women engaged in government and commercial sectors across key towns of Saurashtra (Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Porbandar and Surendranagar) by a structured questionnaire. The study looks at decision-making characteristics, preferred investment channels, and the relationship between investment preferences and demographic variables. Results reveal a strong preference for traditional and low-risk instruments, Fixed Deposits (78.4%), Gold/Jewellery (72.4%) and Insurance (66.0%) while mutual funds (48.4%) and equities (22.4%) remain relatively under-penetrated. Factor analysis identified three dominant factors, Safety & Security Orientation, Return & Growth Orientation and Social & Advisory Influence, as the main decision drivers. Chi-square tests confirmed significant associations between income level and preference for mutual funds/stocks (p < 0.001), and between age and preference for gold and fixed deposits. The findings underscore the need for targeted financial literacy programmes and gender-sensitive product design in the region.