“A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction”
– Virginia Woolf (A Room of One’s Own)
Reading A Room of One’s Own, I paused at this quote, and the paragraphs Woolf wrote on how the money and house she had was what granted her the ability to write. In great depth, she talks about two different academic institutions: one rich and one poor, one for men and one for women. In the women’s institution, the lack of funds, Woolf makes clear, matters. It influences everything about the school. The meals are less hearty, the bookshelves aren’t as full, and the opportunities for discussion are taken away by the difficult environment of the school with almost no money.
But a woman who doesn’t write fiction still needs to have money and a room of her own to be independent, and claim ownership over her life.
It’s not polite to talk about money, which is possibly why some women don’t like to do it. But, our lack of understanding and our fear of discussion about money is to our great detriment. Money, above all, is freedom. Money gives you the ability to do what you want, to be who you want. I don’t mean that it’s everything. I truly don’t. But, to think it’s nothing is the height of foolishness. If you want to live, you need money. If you want to thrive, you should know money.As a feminist, I want the world to know that I can take care of myself. And, financial stability gives me that. It gives me the knowledge and power to know that I can rely on myself to pay bills, to buy food, to do what needs to be done. Like it or not, money is power. Empowerment isn’t cheap. As women, we’re trying to lay claim to some portion of the world, to own something. Currently, women own less than 20% of the world’s land, and we control about 30% of the world’s wealth, a number that’s going up but that is far from equal to men. We quite literally have less. The best way for us to ensure that these numbers change, that we have more of an equal share of the world we live in, is by ensuring that we and the women around know as much about money as possible. This knowledge can propel us forward so that we can begin to invest in not only ourselves but in the women of the future.You should know your personal financial situation, what your goals are, and what you want your money to do for you. You should have a plan for achieving those goals. If money, or banks, or investing confuses you; remember that it confuses most people. And, the best thing to do for that confusion is to learn more. Prepare for your future with the knowledge that you have your own back.
Remember, to quote Beyonce: “Always stay gracious, best revenge is your paper”
Sources:
http://time.com/money/4360112/womens-wealth-share-increase/