How many of you think it’s vitally important for a woman to have financial freedom, whether by working, by living off an inheritance or investing in the stock market (though not sure how likely the last one is these days)?
By the way I am talking about single or married women here. We’ve had enough discussions about working mothers (who are most likely to be accused of all of the above) vs stay at home mom’s and I’d rather not go in that direction again.
Re: Women and financial independence
^ go sara! go sara! go sara! <<< we need a smiley for this!
wasnt this thread so needed after all the recent threads :D
as for your question ... i don't think it's VITALLY needed ... but it's encouraged ...
the way life is such a roller coaster and dont know what will happen next ... it's a more safe idea to if not radically independent then have somewhat independent women ... it helps in times of need ... and lets the family stay secure .... bad finances can physically or mentally break a family ...
Re: Women and financial independence
I think its important for a girl to have some kind of backup i.e. a reasonable level of education so that if bad comes to worse, she can atleast make a living on her own.
Other than that personally I think its not very important !!
Re: Women and financial independence
***Its extremely important given today's outlooks on marriage that girl be financially independent .While before men were considered the bread winners this does not apply in today's society and women need to look out for themselves rather than be dependant on husbands or brothers or male relatives.
Divorce rates are increasing rapidly in our society compared to 20 years ago where the word was taboo and that alone should be enough reason for a woman to keep herself financially secure .
Even if she is in a good marriage there are all sorts of scenarios e.g the spouse could lose his job or become physically disabled and then it would be vitally important for her to secure her and her children's futures by being the sole bread-winner rather than be at the mercy of relatives.
Re: Women and financial independence
Okay maybe not "vitally".. but yes it should be there.
Personally I find arguments that women who do so are greedy and materialistic or demeaning themselves by working, well quite annoying and not to mention unfair.
I don't know how it is in Pakistan or other countries but in the US if you want decent chances at a good job after graduating from college, part time work and/or internships, are the way to go.
Putting aside abusive marriages (a definite reason why a woman should be financially secure) I see far too many people who just hold on to crappy relationships because money is one of the factors.
How many of you think it's vitally important for a woman to have financial freedom, whether by working, by living off an inheritance or investing in the stock market (though not sure how likely the last one is these days)?
By the way I am talking about single or married women here. We've had enough discussions about working mothers (who are most likely to be accused of all of the above) vs stay at home mom's and I'd rather not go in that direction again.
I believe now is the best time to invest in shares, but as always, anyone who does invest in shares needs to do their own research.
I have seen a few (but enough) women who are treated shoddily and accept this treatment because they do not have the financial means to support themself or to seek an alternative. Whereas a financially independent woman can support herself and is perceived as more powerful and an equal to a man. Therfore, to me financial independence is the difference between weakness and power - because an independent woman is only reliant on herself, but a woman without money is always reliant on someone else and you can never trust anyone in the world blindly because the hand that feeds you today might decide to stop tomorrow/give the food to someone else.
I know a woman whose kids accept the other woman in their father's life because the other woman works and is therefore able to buy their love and affection with toys/sweets.
Re: Women and financial independence
I think it is very important a woman has something to fall back on or some kind of continous financial security for herself or her family, should the situation calls for it or there is a need.
It may be a cliche to say or something philosophical to throw around but who knows what tomorrow may hold, what circumstance may arise etc etc. Even if one is not married and dependent upon parents, who knows whether that kind of financial support will be available.
Dependancy upon others can make us do certain things or compromise ourselves to such an extent where we just need a means to survive. I don't think anyone should be put in such a position.
It is always good to put something away for a rainy day. Better to be prepared than be agast when put in such a position.
Re: Women and financial independence
It is very important for a woman today to be capable of financial independence. I am qualified and have worked professionally until my children were born and decided to become a stay home mom because I did have that option. My mom has always worked as a physician and retired only after we were in college but never did we feel neglected. I would like to educate my girls to a point where if they choose to, they can have a fulfilling career. In fact, I will encourage them. Some people think that going for a career means who cannot raise a family. I guess it is all about having a balance in your life and knowing your personal priorities at any given time.
The reason is simple. One must always be prepared and having that independence brings self confidence.
Some people may argue otherwise but I feel that at this point in my life, if money was ever a challenge, or if I was just bored or felt unproductive, I could always find a job to supplement our household income. Just knowing that possibility brings a certain level of security. What I choose to do is entirely a decision which my husband and I took, and that's a different topic.
Re: Women and financial independence
In my opinion it is VITALLY important but not for financial freedom but for financial knowledge so that they can MAKE informed decisions for themselves and their families.
You would be surprised how many women whether they are working or staying at home have NO clue about money matters, investment, retirement or managing existing assets.
They could not tell you how much money come in their house and how much is spend or saved as long as they can buy groceries and make it to the mall once a week.
In my opinion being blind about your financial present and future is as careless as being blind about your personal health
Re: Women and financial independence
when women work there is no one at home to take care of children. Thats why children start smoking weed. Their mom is playstation.
Re: Women and financial independence
McPendo, legally you cannot leave your children home alone until they are 12 
Before that there are many other arrangements that can be made. Also, many moms usually become stay home moms after their kids are born and go back to work when the kids are older.
when women work there is no one at home to take care of children. Thats why children start smoking weed. Their mom is playstation.
But what does this have to do with being financially stable. There are tons of women who stay at home and inherit tons of money.
A mother’s priorities are with her children. If she goes out who will care for her? i know moms who work and throw their kids to daycares like doggs and they grow up and leave the parents when they get older because they didn’t get any love when they needed it!
Re: Women and financial independence
Well this thread is about financial freedom in general, not specifically having to work or not. Women can receive financial independence via inheritance also 
Re: Women and financial independence
^ No this thread is about women working and having financial freedom!
Re: Women and financial independence
I don’t work, but I do have financial freedom 
But what does this have to do with being financially stable. There are tons of women who stay at home and inherit tons of money.
If that is the case, then they are very fortunate that they don't have to work.
A mother's priorities are with her children. If she goes out who will care for her? i know moms who work and throw their kids to daycares like doggs and they grow up and leave the parents when they get older because they didn't get any love when they needed it!
I have a daughter and was working full-time before she was born. But life is full of unexpected surprises and after my Husband died I realised I needed to stand on my own feet and be independant. I was looking after my daughter, working, started a small side business with sisters (our kids were never left with a nanny or ignored) and started further studies again all because I wanted to secure our future even more. I had plenty of help from parents and siblings but I felt it was very important for me to be financially independent, to work and continue studying, invest and keep myself active in general.
Re: Women and financial independence
I have financial freedom not because I work but my parents still give me pocket money and my husband also give me pocket money so without job also I get a good amount to spend every month...... but work for sure does play a VITAL role , you get your very own fixed amount of money every month and you can make your financial plans according to your life's dreams and needs.
When i was studying i mean when i entered college I always had this in my mind to become financialy independent. I never throught to be dependent on my parents or husband for the rest of my life. I always had this in my mind also that I may not get married so I should be financially independent. I never comsidered NOT BEING FINANCIALY INDPENDENT as an option avialable to me. I was investing is various things ever since i was in school and developed a habit of saving formyself.
I feel that even women who are not working should have a sound understanding of financial matters , I know many woman including my own mom and other woman of my mom's age in my family who dont even know how to write a cheque !!! For this also they depend upon their husbands and kids just imagine you have loads of money to spend in your bank account but don't know how to take it out on your own.
Any woman can have some saving which she may wish to invest like in securities , stocks , mutual funds etc but don't know how to go about it. I take another example from my mom , she saves a good amount of money every month from the allowance she gets for house expenditure from my dad but the best she can do with it is to save it in cash form only or buy bonds. Other than that she doesn't know where or how to invest. But it may even turn out to be harmful if the woman is very naive and invest her money in some fraudulent project or securties. Alot of frauds takes place in Pakistan when it comes to property investment, therefore to some extent its safer for a woman not to go for these kinds of investement.
THE BEST and I always say THE BEST INVESTMENT is buy gold bars , they'll give you soild return when u'll need.
when women work there is no one at home to take care of children. Thats why children start smoking weed. Their mom is playstation.
Have u thought about that thing called school that takes up such a large part of a child's day, or is the mother expected to stay at home even while child is at school? Don't most mothers work part-time rather than full-time anyway? Really can't see how anyone could have a problem is with that..
Re: Women and financial independence
I think it's vital. In nearly every case I've seen where father has died or parents have divorced (including in my extended family) and the women haven't completed higher education or worked most of the money has ended up 'disappearing' cos they've had to rely on others and more often than not been taken advantage of by uncles and brothers and even those cases where they were given a large lump sum to keep themselves they haven't been able to turn that into a sustainable income. It's cos of the issue of financial independence the girls in my family now are discouraged to marry before they've finished uni or are working.