Gender matters most. The impact on short-term risk aversion following a financial crash

Abstract

This paper examines how investors in an emerging market react to a domestic financial crisis. We conjecture that risk aversion increases following such events and that the effect is more pronounced among specific groups of investors. Our study makes use of a unique dataset of mutual fund investors from one of Colombia's largest stock brokers. Our results reveal that women and self-employed individuals make the largest withdrawals from risky funds after financial crises.