There used to be this saying that “A woman’s place is in the kitchen.” Growing up those days, investing in a girl child was an afterthought because the notion was training a girl child was waste of resources and should not be prioritised since she would end up under a man’s roof, thereby creating this false belief that women will only be respected when there’s a man in her life.
Most women who were raised with this mentality ended up compromising their dreams and aspirations because of this societal belief and had loads of regrets, unlike women who went out of their way to chase their dreams and attain great heights where frowned at, and most believed not to be able to make good homes or be submissive to a man.
Being financially independent is an important goal for people of all backgrounds but very important for a woman.
Today, as the narratives are changing with the rise of advocates for women empowerment and financial freedom. Despite these efforts financial freedom and equal rights towards managing money and other assets continue to be a struggle for many women.
Many women have suffered a great deal in the hands of men, family and society due to not being able to live their lives on their own terms and it is pertinent for women to be financially independent from their men.
The need for women to be financially independent is paramount and can never be overemphasized because they become role models for their children and help in uprooting the age-old biases that are deeply rooted in our culture. It gives women a deep sense of security that makes it easier to save and invest for the future because women tend to be good managers. It is a form of personal empowerment.
So my take on this is, women wherever you go or you end up getting married, know that you have to be financially independent because when money flows into the hands of women, they have the wisdom to use it and change everything for their families, communities and other women.
With Love,
Tricia Iwuoha
