Why Financial Literacy is Feminist

When it comes to decent income, the odds are stacked against women. Not only do women have lower access to formal credit, property ownership, than men, but research shows that women also have lower levels of financial literacy—a key indicator of financial inclusion. And that’s not just a statistic—it’s a systemic barrier that keeps women financially dependent and limits their ability to build wealth. 💰 Think about this: 1.Women earn only 77 cents for every $1 a man earns globally. 2.Women-owned businesses receive only 2% of venture capital funding. 3.Women are 80% more likely than men to face poverty in retirement. This isn’t because women are less capable. It’s because financial systems weren’t designed with women in mind. Why does financial independence matter? Because money isn’t just about numbers—it’s about choices, security, and freedom. 📍 A woman with financial independence can leave a toxic relationship without fear of survival. 📍 She can walk away from an unfair job because she has a safety net. 📍 She can invest in her dreams, her children’s future, and her own well-being. Yet, many women are still raised to "save money" but not to grow it. To "budget" but not to invest. To "depend" rather than own. 🚀 It’s time to change this. ✔️ Teach young girls about money, investments, and wealth-building. ✔️ Encourage women to take charge of their own financial decisions. ✔️ Support policies that ensure equal pay and access to financial resources. 💡 Financial independence isn’t just an economic issue—it’s a human rights issue. This International Women’s Day, let’s move beyond words and take action. 💜 Encourage. Educate. Empower. LinkedIn LinkedIn News India LinkedIn Guide to Creating #InternationalWomensDay #FinancialFreedom #FinancialLiteracy

Financial literacy wasn't taught to me. As a girl from a small town, money conversations happened behind closed doors. "Girls don't need to understand finances," they said. This happens even today. But the fact is, founders who don't understand how money flows, likely to fail. I learnt the hard way. The founder who understands how money flows can build any business, survive any crisis, and grow business faster. Because it’s never about the product alone. It’s about cash flow. It’s about timing inflows and outflows. It’s about discipline with money — not just passion with ideas. Lessons I learnt- - Lesson 1: Cash flow is oxygen, profit is food I learned this the hard way in our early days. We were profitable on paper but couldn’t pay salaries on time. Revenue means nothing if it’s stuck in receivables. - Lesson 2: Your personal credit score affects business funding Banks judge female entrepreneurs differently. They’ll ask about your husband’s income, family plans, even your “commitment.” Build your personal financial credibility like your life depends on it. - Lesson 3: Understand your numbers deeply, don’t just delegate You can’t lead what you can’t measure. Know your unit economics, burn rate, runway, and CAC. Don’t just nod when your CFO talks—ask until you fully understand. - Lesson 4: Emergency fund isn’t optional, it’s survival Maintain 6–12 months of operating expenses. COVID taught us business can stop overnight. This cushion saved us and helped support our team when others were laying off. - Lesson 5: The right investors bring more than money Networks, mentorship, and credibility matter. Cheap money from the wrong partner is expensive. Choose investors who add value beyond capital. The reality? Financial literacy as a female entrepreneur means fighting biases, questioning assumptions, and protecting your business like a lioness protects her cubs. We're not just building businesses - we're building generational wealth and breaking cycles. To every woman reading this: Your money, your rules, your empire. Learn the language of money. Speak it fluently. Use it strategically. Because financial independence isn't just personal freedom - it's the foundation of everything else you want to build. What's one financial lesson you wish you'd learned earlier? #finance #moneymatters #business #growth

When someone asks me “What is financial feminism?” I reply: it’s not just about money. It’s about power. It’s about choice. It’s about dismantling the belief that your financial worth is tied to someone else’s narrative. I spent years in marketing jobs where I was the youngest, the only woman leading campaigns, the one whose ideas were “cute” or “nice” but rarely “powerful.” I saved money, I invested in myself—but I also realized: saving alone isn’t enough if the system hasn’t changed. In my book Financial Feminist I wrote about how the language of money is gendered. How we’re told to be “safe” with finances, not “ambitious.” How spending on joy is framed as reckless, but someone else’s financial risk is celebrated. Here’s how I see it playing out in real life now: Women negotiating salaries, not waiting to be offered. Side hustles that turn into full businesses—not because of hustle culture, but strategy and support. Investing becoming accessible, visible, normalized for people often told “money isn’t your thing.” A community that says: you can choose more—more freedom, more safety, more voice. If you're on LinkedIn and reading this—what narrative around money are you still believing? Maybe it's: “I’m bad with money”. Maybe it's: “That’s just how it is for me.” Maybe it's: “I’ll deal with this later.” It’s time to interrogate that. It’s time to teach yourself differently. Because your finances are social. They’re political. They’re personal. And they’re yours to change.

I think the amount of financial education I got as a girl was maybe learning how to balance a checkbook ... maybe. What I do know is that no one taught me how to build long-term wealth. No one taught me about investing. And certainly no one taught me how to negotiate, evaluate debt, or plan for my financial future. It wasn't taught because understanding money wasn't expected of women, so why did they to need to know? Certainly, their husbands would take care of all that. Back then, it was just assumed that women would be in long-term domestic partnerships, and their husband would take of all the finances. Now, with women having more choices and more freedom, or with unexpected deaths or divorces, we're left having to teach ourselves how to deal with finances. This often happens much later in life, and often for the first time, along with all the other responsibilities we carry. It's a LOT. Many of my female clients come in overwhelmed and embarrassed to ask for help, often embarrassed to 'reveal' their financial situation to another. Finances can be an emotional and heavy topic, but there's no need to feel personally ashamed. We were raised in a culture that never gave us the guidance, resources, or --for a long time-- the power to have full autonomy over our finances. Financial confidence isn’t something you, me, men, or anyone was born with. It’s something you build and learn over time. And it’s never too late to start.

In 2021, I became the first woman to head a unicorn in Israel, AKA Startup Nation. In many parts of the world, women are excluded from even the most basic financial services, so leading a fintech company is far from their reality. United Nations data estimates that 3.8 billion women live in the world, 50% of which are adults. According to the World Bank’s Global Findex Database, 1.4 billion of those 1.9 billion adult women, are unbanked. That’s 73.65%. Visit that statistic again. It represents a disturbing gender gap in financial access, with women being far less likely than men to have bank accounts or access formal financial services. This financial exclusion has personal impact. It diminishes women’s economic empowerment by restricting access to education and limiting their potential for personal growth and independence. It makes women more financially dependent, and therefore, more vulnerable. There's economic impact, too. Research by McKinsey highlights the economic loss due to financial exclusion of women, noting that closing the gender gap in labor force participation could add trillions to global GDP. Financial inclusion isn’t just a matter of equality – ensuring the same opportunities for all. It’s a matter of equity - ensuring women have the tools and access they need to fully participate in the global economy. That’s where technology enters the picture to level the field. The rise of mobile banking is a great example of innovation enhancing financial inclusion. According to a report by the International Finance Corporation, mobile money accounts are more popular among women in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, where access to traditional banking is limited. Various fintechs provide financial literacy resources, helping women understand financial products, budgeting, and saving strategies. Other solutions include AI-driven platforms that offer personalized recommendations and advice, empowering women to make informed financial decisions. Aside from personal apps and solutions, fintechs can facilitate community-based lending and saving initiatives, allowing women to support each other through group savings or microfinance schemes, fostering a sense of solidarity and shared purpose. This International Women’s Day’s theme is "accelerate action". In my mind, nothing accelerates action like innovation. As we mark International Women's Day, let’s advocate and innovate to enhance financial inclusion for women worldwide. #IWD2025 #financialInclusion Papaya Global

Trauma. That’s how I learned about money. When you grow up as a first-generation immigrant, money isn’t just money. It’s fear. It’s survival. It’s guilt. 💰 You don’t ask for more - you just feel grateful to have anything. 📉 You don’t negotiate - you worry about being a burden. 📚 You don’t talk about investments - you’re just trying to hold on to what you have. And when you finally start your career? That mindset doesn’t just disappear. I didn’t realize how much financial trauma shaped every career decision I made - until I found myself running a business, negotiating deals, and making financial choices that terrified me. When I looked out to our audience of Monday Girl members, I realized I wasn't alone. In fact, a recent Intuit Financial Literacy Survey revealed that more than HALF (55%) of women feel uncertain about where to begin their financial journey vs. just 49% of men. This is exactly what we tackled when I moderated a panel with Intuit Canada on financial literacy for women, joined by Kyla Bolden, Stefanie Ricchio CPA, CGA and Anna Sinclair who shared such honest and diverse perspectives. One thing that was painfully clear: 1️⃣ Women, especially first-gen professionals, undervalue themselves - not because they aren’t capable, but because they were never taught how to advocate for their worth. 2️⃣ We’re often taught to save money, not to grow it. 3️⃣ Financial literacy isn’t just about numbers - it’s about unlearning fear. Because if you grew up hearing: 🔹 “We don’t talk about money.” 🔹 “You should just be thankful.” 🔹 “That’s not for people like us.” Then stepping into financial confidence isn’t just learning - it’s rewiring everything. I know firsthand that understanding money changes everything. Not just for you, but for the next generation. 👇 What’s a money belief you had to unlearn? #FinancialLiteracy #PersonalFinance #WomenInFinance #MoneyMindset #CareerGrowth

Our maths teacher introduced trigonometry by saying female brains often found it hard. It was the 90s. And just like that, half the girls in the class stopped trying. This line from a FT article I read this morning, hit home. Because decades later, I still see versions of this play out when it comes to women and money. We’re told we’re cautious investors. That we lack confidence. That we prefer safety. But maybe the real issue isn’t women being risk-averse. Maybe it’s the financial industry being imagination-averse. Instead of building confidence, we design around assumptions. Instead of inviting curiosity, we shut it down with jargon.And when women ask questions, we treat it like hesitation, not intelligence. In my work, I meet smart, capable women every day. They’re not scared of investing. They’re just tired of being spoken down to. As the FT article says, the problem isn’t that women avoid equities. It’s that they’re rarely encouraged to own them with conviction. Here’s what we need to remember - Asking questions is a sign of strength - Understanding before investing is wisdom - And risk isn’t a bad word. But not understanding your own money? That’s the real risk. It’s time we stopped framing caution as a flaw and started recognizing it as clarity. #IAmMyOwnLaxmi #WomenAndMoney #FinancialLiteracy #InvestorVoice #WealthConfidence #GenderBias #FamilyOffices #FinancialEmpowerment Link to the article https://lnkd.in/g_gtYDqe

This is not a promotion post. This is a wake-up call especially for women. I recently came across a Paytm ad that made me pause and question myself. A group of men and women were asked simple financial questions: “If your answer is yes, step forward. If no, step back.” By the end, most women stood behind. Most men were ahead. Why? Because they were more financially aware, more involved… while many women (including me) often think, “Why should I bother? My husband/ dad will handle it.” We talk about gender equality, yet in our own homes we silently accept that “finances are his department.” Before deciding whether this applies to you, answer these honestly: 🤔Do you track the budget? 🤔Do you know the exact breakup of your own salary? 🤔Do you understand the difference between a Mutual Fund and a SIP? 🤔Have you ever purchased an insurance policy on your own? 🤔Have you filed your own taxes? If even one answer is “no,” maybe it’s time to rethink. For years, society has labeled certain responsibilities as “women’s jobs” and others as “men’s jobs.” Finances almost always fell on the men’s side. It’s time to change that narrative—not to prove that we’re better or equal— but to be aware, confident, and in control of our own money and decisions. Financial independence isn’t about competition. It’s about clarity, security, and self-respect. Let’s bridge that gap—starting today. 💙 A big appreciation to Paytm for creating such a thoughtful and eye-opening ad— one that doesn’t sell a product, but sparks a much-needed conversation. #FinancialAwareness #WomenAndMoney #FinancialIndependence #MindsetShift P.S.- Video credit to the respective owner