Women are more likely to own no properties and shares than men, with the gender pay gap largely blamed for the gulf in assets.
CoreLogic research head Eliza Owen says while social factors are involved, such as lower financial literacy and higher risk aversion among women, the main issues were structural.
"Women just generally earn less than men ... income leads to savings and investment and so that could be driving some of the disparity as well," she said.
About one in eight respondents said they owned at least one investment property, in a survey of more than 1000 people for the firm's Women and Property report .
Men and women split either side, with about 14 per cent of men compared to 11 per cent of women owning an investment property.
But ownership of other asset classes was much less equal.
The biggest discrepancy in investments was in cryptocurrencies, with only eight per cent of women reporting ownership, compared to almost one-quarter of men.
A similar discrepancy applied to shares, with more than one-third of men owning them compared to less than 20 per cent of women.
Almost 44 per cent of women reported having no investments at all, compared to just over 28 per cent of men.
Superannuation was the most prevalent form of investment reported for both, but the average fund balance for men was almost $80,000 more than women.
The report notes the persisting gender pay gap as a key contributor - but regardless of gender, income levels were another major factor in whether someone would own property or other assets.
Men and women both reported high and rising property prices as the main purchasing barrier, but women were more likely to report challenges saving for a deposit and securing a loan.
There are also differing attitudes about property ownership across generations, with older people who are more likely to own their own home also thinking ownership was of higher importance.
Ms Owen suggested younger people may not appreciate the importance of home ownership as much as someone in or near retirement, when not having to pay for housing could be the difference between a comfortable lifestyle and an expensive one.
But younger people do have superannuation funds that older generations may not have for their whole working life, and technology has made researching and making investments easier.
"They might actually be able to leverage investments in such a way that they're not as reliant on home ownership," Ms Owen said.
But there remained room for improvement to provide financial security and stability to people who don't own a home or other assets, such as more social housing, longer lease terms, and higher Commonwealth rental assistance, she added.
