Why women need to be financially independent?

In India, we all have grown up seeing our mothers asking money from our fathers. No matter she is a housewife or a working women, when it comes to money matters, it’s always our father who take the decision. And how can we forget the ways our mothers save the leftover money from grocery shopping or the “relative’s shagun” so that she could spend it on our little demands or maybe just utilize it to give gifts to her parents.  Though many women have stepped out of their homes and started working to earn a living for themselves, there is still a large percentage of women who work full time at homes, without being paid for their hard work. Moreover, many married women although financially independent still ask for permissions before making any big purchases. Discussing money matters with your partner is very much advisable but letting them take the decisions on your behalf, especially when you know they are wrong is plain stupidity. Honestly, we all despise telling our parents how we spent our pocket money and thus wait for the day when we could earn our own and pay on our own. But, if you are an Indian women, that day may never arrive. Yes, we women may make our own, but more often than not it’s our in-laws who decide what to do with our earned money. All, we get is the monthly “kharcha” and the constant humiliation of asking for money when we want to buy something that we can’t tell our husband or in-laws about. Also, many of us women may know about taxes and investments theoretically but lack any practical experience. A good part of us still gets stuck if we have to go to the banks alone and we still don’t know which form to fill or which person to talk to. This can be avoided only if we gain enough experience, and to achieve it we should allow ourselves to spend our money the way we want. Yes, we may make bad investments or make stupid mistakes while filling those forms and checks, at first, but it will teach us not to make these mistakes later. So, in addition to proper education, we should give our girls exposure to banking and investment processes so that grow up to be a financially independent woman.     ———— ABOUT THE AUTHOR: This article is written by Pragya Dhir, our intern.