(MONEY Magazine) – % An exclusive MONEY survey shows that the nation's stockbrokers routinely treat women differently than they treat men -- and usually less well. Moreover, they get away with this disturbing behavior largely because women are not complaining. Among the chief findings of our exclusive survey of 50 retail brokerage offices in Chicago and Los Angeles: -- Brokers tell men about a wider range of investments. Our survey firm Barry Leeds & Associates of New York City sent 50 male and 50 female testers as walk-in clients to brokerage outlets in February. Sales reps suggested government bond funds to 44% of the men vs. 28% of the women. Men were four to six times as likely to hear about corporate bond funds, money-market funds and IRAs. -- Brokers explain investments more often to men. For instance, brokers who touted government bond funds told 82% of the men how the funds worked. The comparable figure for women: 50%. ''Brokers may think that women have less investing experience and will simply be confused by explanations,'' says Mary Malgoire, a financial planner in Bethesda, Md. -- Brokers try harder to sign up men as customers. The brokers asked 12% of the men to open accounts on the spot, vs. only 2% of the women. Moreover, the brokers urged a full 60% of the men to visit the location again; less than a third of the women heard similar encouragement. A possible explanation, says Steven Roth, president of Barry Leeds, is a tendency among brokers to take men -- and their money -- more seriously. Curiously, however, we also learned this . . . -- Brokers treat women more courteously than they do men. Only 22% of the female testers reported that their sales reps broke off conversations to, say, take a phone call or meet with office associates. A heftier one-third of the men made that complaint. ''Brokers still consider it unusual for a woman to walk in, so they may make a special effort to see her,'' says Roth. -- Despite receiving less information, women were more satisfied with their brokers than men. A solid 40% of the women said they were very satisfied with the service. Less than half as many men said the same. Why? ''Many women are new investors,'' observes Christopher Hayes, director of the National Center for Women and Retirement Research in Southampton, N.Y., ''so they're often grateful simply to be treated with respect.'' In our survey, the Barry Leeds testers, ages 30 to 45 and 50 to 65, visited offices of Dean Witter, Edward D. Jones, Merrill Lynch, Shearson Lehman, Kemper Securities and Sutro & Co. The younger testers said they had $25,000 to invest, the older ones $50,000. Each tester spent about half an hour with a broker, 79% of whom were white males. Many brokerage officials wouldn't comment on the survey's results, but a Merrill Lynch spokesman says: ''In our surveys, we have found no difference in the quality of service offered to men and women.'' To millions of women investors, however, the survey's message is clear: Demand the service you deserve, get a complete explanation of any of the recommendations and, if your broker doesn't deliver, find a new one.

CHART: NOT AVAILABLE CREDIT: NO CREDIT CAPTION: HOW STOCKBROKERS FAVOR MEN According to our exclusive survey, stockbrokers tend to take men more seriously than they do women. We found that brokers asked men more probing questions about their finances and tried harder to get them signed up as customers.