Across the UK, financial confidence remains a challenge, with the Financial Conduct Authority estimating that around one in four adults has low financial resilience, highlighting how many people still struggle to feel secure managing money day to day.
Similar studies show that women and girls are significantly more likely to lack confidence in making financial decisions than men, and this gap doesn’t close as they age – but why?
It’s a combination of factors. Everything from inherited parental attitudes to harmful gender stereotypes can have long-lasting consequences for young women’s financial wellbeing, especially when one considers the gender pay gap, women’s longer life expectancy, career interruptions and how these all compound over time.
The cost-of-living crisis has created extremely challenging conditions for young people progressing into the workplace and higher education, yet there’s almost a cultural embarrassment around admitting you don’t know something financial which stops people from seeking help in the first place.
At Danske Bank, we see first-hand how confidence around money is often shaped long before someone opens their first account or applies for a loan.
That’s why partnerships with organisations working directly with young people are so important.
Our collaboration with SistersIN is one example. It supports 16-18 year old teenage girls across Northern Ireland through mentoring, leadership development and exposure to professional environments, working with 60 schools and supporting almost 800 girls in the last year alone.
By working together, we can connect financial education with wider conversations around ambition, career choices and independence, making it more relevant and empowering.
Financial curiosity and habits form much younger than we expect.
From toddler age onwards, most young people are already interacting with money through contactless payments or digital spending.
The shift to a more cashless society means younger generations don’t always instinctively connect tapping a card with spending real money, creating misconceptions that need to be addressed early.
At the same time, social media has helped to normalise conversations about money, but it has also introduced new risks.
Misinformation from potentially unqualified creators, online investment hype and increasingly sophisticated scams can make it harder for young people to know who to trust.
Through school engagement, mentoring sessions and workshops like our ‘Money Smart’ programme, Danske colleagues visit schools, youth groups and charitable organisations across Northern Ireland and aim to create safe, practical spaces where young people can ask questions, understand key financial concepts, and build confidence discussing money openly. These programmes are most effective when they sit within this broader support network rather than operating in isolation.
For our job shadow day with SistersIN, 76 young women from across Northern Ireland were welcomed into Danske Bank to engage with the Money Smart programme, as one part of the day along with other activities, panel discussions and more.
Mentees were taught about key topics like early savings habits, understanding credit, the importance of budgeting and what to think about when becoming financially independent.
Dresden Hurst, head of personal customer growth at Danske Bank and co-chair of the bank’s gender diversity network (@Matt Mackey)
The message from these conversations is clear: it’s never too early, and building financial confidence isn’t just about information, it’s about environment.
When young women see money discussed openly, linked to their ambitions, and supported by trusted mentors and institutions, they are far more likely to engage.
No single organisation can solve the financial confidence gap alone.
By working collaboratively across education, mentoring and financial services, we can help ensure the next generation of young women and men hit adulthood not only informed, but confident enough to ask questions, make decisions and advocate for their financial futures.
Dresden Hurst is head of personal customer growth at Danske Bank and co-chair of the bank’s gender diversity network