The Meaning of Money for Women

War of the Roses movie 1989

One of the founding pillars I’ve built my business on is the fact that money represents different things to women as opposed to men. If you’ve been following me for a while you’ll be familiar with the fact that men have been running the show for thousands of years whilst women have been quietly in the back ground doing what they’re told, staying safe, and nurturing their family members young and old.

For men, money represents power. It helps them achieve their honourable primal desires to provide and protect. Our financial, corporate and legal systems have been built on this becuase they were built by men for men in an age when women had no legal powers and their needs were therefore simply not considered.

For women, money represents safety. Safety is very different to power. It’s softer, quieter, and comforting. Women are primitively wired to crave safety because safety is essential to grow and raise a child and care for others. After all, along with our many other talents, we were built to nurture.

Historically, we sought this safety via the protection and provision of a man. In the past (40 years ago or more), because we were legally dead, this literally was the only option available to us. Without a man’s physical and financial protection we were extremely vulnerable.

But today things are different.

Today we have the legal right manage our own money, make our own decisions and be treated equally to men at home and in the workplace. This led me to the question…

Do we even need men anymore?

So many strong, single, financially independent women I know are now asking themselves this. They feel wrong for not wanting a man to share their home with because it’s not considered the social norm. They prefer to keep them at arms length. They’ve been through divorces or relationship splits and they just don’t want the hassle of having to answer to anyone else.

Enter War of the Roses, Thelma and Louise, Sex and The City, and the like.

The social norm is changing for women, especially those who are single.

I’ve realised that the women who are feeling this way are usually women who have school age or older children (or they’ve chosen to have none) - they’re past the age of looking for a man to have a child with. They’re at a stage where they can provide their own financial security because they’re not physically burdened by pregnancy. There’s nothing wrong with their preference to be single. They just don’t have that primal need to be protected anymore. The law protects us now. We can be just as independent as men (whether we are in or out of a relationship).

The last frontier for young women though is still financial security. The number one reason why women generally retire with less retirement funds than men is because they loose their ability to contribute while out of the workforce to bring a child or three into the world. Its not just the contributions they miss, its the compounding of those missed contributions’ earnings over the next 30 years. This is the last inter-generational gap to be closed.

What are governments going to do to help? Here in Australia we have a new party in government and the highest number of females in parliament EVER. Does this mean more women’s issues will be addressed in the legal and financial system? I hope so.

Both here and overseas, change is in the air. There’s never been a better time in history to be a woman. Whether your in a relationship or not, start building your wealth. Let go of any old stories or beliefs that making money is hard or that you’ve left it too late. The world needs more wealthy women in order to protect and provide for the women coming after us and to make the world a better place. We owe it to the women who came before us to make the most of the opportunities they fought so hard for us to receive.

If you’re ready to talk money and learn the next steps to building your wealth, book a 20 minute financial clarity call with me.

Julia Scott is an intuitive money mentor and finance professional. Working with Julia helps you to earn more, become confident investing and align with money in a whole new way! Work with Julia HERE.