A survey of 2,000 UK women found that 73% believe they need to learn a great deal before they can begin investing, while 67% think it requires a significant time commitment and 62% find the prospect of learning about investing overwhelming.

However, among women who already invest, 69% said investing is made to seem more complicated than it really is, while 63% said getting started was easier than they had anticipated.

The findings come as eToro seeks to address the UK’s estimated £574bn gender investment gap through its “Loud Investing” campaign.

As part of the initiative, the firm partnered with former England footballer Jill Scott MBE and King’s Business School to test whether structured learning could improve women’s confidence in investing.

Participants completed a seven-day programme involving around 20 minutes of learning each day, covering topics including investment fundamentals, risk and returns.

According to the study, the proportion of participants who viewed investing as very or extremely complex fell from 50% before the programme to 15% afterwards. Meanwhile, those who believed investing was “for people like me” more than doubled from 34% to 71%.

The programme also increased participants’ willingness to begin investing. The proportion planning to take their first step within three months rose from 52% to 75%, while those intending to start investing immediately increased from 13% to 38%.

Participants also became more comfortable with investment risk, with the share willing to invest in assets that fluctuate in value rising from 35% to 61%.

Dr Ylva Baeckström, senior lecturer in finance at King’s Business School, said: “For many women, the barrier isn’t ability or interest – instead women have often been excluded from the opportunity to acquire the necessary knowledge. Investing can therefore be misunderstood as highly complex and something that requires expertise before you can begin. Our women didn’t become investment experts in seven days, but their understanding shifted enough to make investing feel achievable.

“One important finding is around risk. Women are often described as ‘risk averse’, but our research suggests they’re better characterised as ‘risk aware’, wanting to make informed investment decisions.”

Dan Moczulski, UK managing director at eToro, said: “The message from the Loud Investing Challenge is simple. Just start. Start learning, start asking questions and start engaging. Too many people hold back from investing because they think they need to understand everything before they begin.

“But the challenge showed that when investing is broken down into simple steps, the barriers become much smaller. You do not need to be an expert to get started. You just need to take the first step, which is often the hardest one to take.”