Dave Curley

If I understand Gillian correctly, as a women she wants the 'Adviser' to care, well I can vouch for that, Since taking up Financial Life Planning, the strongest positive re-action has come from women, they seem to understand where I am coming from, they appreciate the effort we put in to the Life Planning process to gleen what really makes them tick and what they really want to be, achieve, desire.
I Believe that by asking the questions and listening to and understanding the answers women give we show that we do care, and, as a result, both the adviser and the client are more in tune with each other and therefore more likely to be able to do business together.

Whether specific products are required for women, I think not, as we should all be moving away from a 'Product' lead business to a 'Wrap' service lead proposition, which women understand.
The days of Extra allocation, bid offer spreads, early encashment charges etc etc. should be buried as soon as possible.

Harry, I think you are being a little patronising towards women, I have come accross many females who have been kept at arms length from financial decision making. History continues to prove, women come off worse in many cases when it comes to money matters, Annuity rates, Critical Illness rates, Long term care provision, etc. plus the State pension regime still discriminates against women. They have different and sometimes additional issues to address than men.
And, in answer to your comment about Male gynaecologists, the dis-parity in the proportions was mainly due to the fact that Males can benefit from the career structure within the consultancy profession created by an un-interupted employment path not disturbed by childbirth. Many women who do wish to become Consultants but who have their own children find that they are left behind in the promotion ladder.

I don't need my gynaecologist to "understand" my bits ... I need him (or her) to know what to do with them. Or do I?? Would I (also) like him or her to care about how I'm feeling ... which is likely to have a serious impact on that might affect delivery of the diagnosis or treatment or aftercare??
What is important (as Harley Davidson understood when they created a different advertising campaign for women) is that whilst the "product" is the same, different features and benefits matter to different markets. I shall ignore the question about what is different about women's finances ...
Whether you notice or care, women ARE a market. Like children, or teenagers, or students, or first-time buyers, or lawyers, or forces, or doctors, or over 50s, or expats ... all people, and all perfectly valid marketing segments already.