Women marry for love not money

Affluent women are acquiring wealth through business and investment, rather than inheritance and marriage, a new report suggests.

According to a study conducted by Barclays Wealth, approximately 84 per cent of the women who have £200,000 or more can attribute their money to business, while 39 per cent cite personal investment. This is comparatively more than those who said marriage (24.7 per cent), divorce (2.2 per cent) and inheritance (19.9 per cent).

Gerard Aquilina, head of Barclays Wealth's International Private Bank, said: "A question of gender presents a fascinating global picture of women and wealth trends - in particular the evidence which points to more women becoming independently wealthy via their job, ownership of a business, or from personal investment. While the more 'traditional' drivers of wealth still play a part, they are no longer the dominant forces they once were.

"While it is not necessarily a case of providing women with a different service or products, it is crucial that the wealth management industry understands the motivations and needs women have, and that a one size fits all approach to managing this increasingly influential audience may not work."

The report suggests that by 2010 women will account for 35 per cent of the millionaires in the UK.