Confessions of a libra

The money alchemist | Credit: Here

23.05.25

Under patriarchy, women are financially disadvantaged. You need to be aware so you can fight for yourself and fight for the next woman’s ability to have equal access. Men have had centuries’ long head start on wealth acquisition. Years, decades and centuries of intricate laws made to strip women of their wealth if they end up being free. Men have orchestrated marriages in order to own and control a woman’s wealth. My mother taught me to never believe the lie that only women are hypergamous. Men too can use their charms and wiles to find their way into your wallet. You are not exempt from being preyed upon. It’s just more insidious because of the power imbalance societally, as dictated by patriarchy.

The patriarchy affects women to the extent that a field of study can be devalued by being overrepresented with women. Where men go, the money goes. So that we can conveniently tell the women, that they would earn more if they just did the higher paying jobs. Having been invested in gender dynamics for as long as I can name, I have heard many stories of women in male dominated fields (including my own mother) being subverted in other ways so as to bypass being called sexist. Oh, but the sexism in this country can be covert. Sure, you can go sign up for the Tafe course with all the boys, but we won’t protect their treatment of you in the environment. You chose it, you toughen up.

Another financial pain point I have is the discrepancy between men and women’s retirement nest eggs. It is likely the old soul in me that is keenly aware of old age. I see it as inevitable, something exciting to grow into but something worthy of being planned. In our bid to sell women on being stay at home parents, has anyone thought of their retirement? Women are not always catered to where financial literacy is concerned. I have read up on financial consultants providing different sets of advice from men to women. If you are a woman who has ever gone in to buy a car alone, the likelihood that you have been shafted somewhere is pretty high.

Whenever conservatism is on the rise, we witness patterns of downplaying formal education. This is by design. The less educated you are, the more likely to have children. When I am online seeing millennials or Gen Z women saying the feminists fucked it for all over us I could cringe out of my skin. Prior to 1974 in Australia it was extremely rare for women to own a bank account without a male co-signer (who was usually the husband). That’s not really that long ago. Women weren’t protesting and putting themselves in the line of violence so that you could misrepresent what that fight was about.

Women’s liberation is about you having the choice to do what you want, when you want as a sovereign woman. It’s not about choosing a side. My inner feminist says you can stay at home with the children if you like; but get a pre-nup and make sure you have access to all the accounts/transactions in your house.

It is common for women to be hired as CEOs once a company is failing or in deep water. It works the same politically which is why I was unsurprised by the change of hands in the Australian Liberal Party.  Once the company turns around, you best believe a man will be entering that seat to take the glory. Women’s contributions have been erased and we have been fed propaganda to distract our ‘pretty little minds’ from learning about the hard things like investing. No, women’s brains should be used to help their boss or feed the kids.

If you are a woman please consider having more curiosity about finances as an offering to yourself. An offering to your ancestors that you will make waves where they were barred from entry. Do not spend your time daydreaming of bygone eras that were glamourised while the lobotomies that were happening in tandem were hidden. For my Australian readers, even if you can afford to make $20 Superannuation contributions each pay check, your future retired self will thank you. That’s the power of compound interest, baby!

The end of the world is always being prophesied but it has yet to happen for us. It’s not worth waking up decades from now with regret for time you spent chasing fancies. You are worthy of something substantial. You are worthy of out-earning any man without the qualifications or capacity. You are worthy of having your slice of the pie. Stay grounded, stay literate, your future is in your hands.