<p>Consider this scenario: A ten-year-old boy typically gets his first ‘job’ mowing the lawn or helping dad wash the car, and proudly receives his first 20 bucks. A ten-year-old girl looks after her younger sibling or helps mom in the kitchen — but, of course, she does it all for free. The boy gets his first experience of expecting money for work done and spends it on a treat for himself. The girl gets her first experience of expecting nothing for merely doing her female domestic duty and is content with a nod of approval.</p>.<p>As much as this is a generalisation, boys and girls get their gendered world-view about working for money quite early — including managing personal finances. Money matters are dealt with by the male in the family. Despite housewives and mothers managing household expenses with great skill and forethought, financial planning and investing are still seen mostly as the husband’s preserve.</p>.<p>Gender watchers believe that men see money as a symbol of success and power; women see it as the means to ensure security and proof of their love. Now this is making a lot of feminists I know really mad: sure, love is important, but have you ever tried to pay off a bill with a hug?</p>.<p><strong>Jokes apart…</strong></p>.<p>The story is told of a young lady intern who was advised to begin her first office presentation with a joke. So she put a picture of her pay slip in the opening slide.</p>.<p>Her male colleagues laughed the loudest (perhaps to camouflage the fact that they were getting paid much more), but women are finding it no laughing matter that a gender gap continues to prevail over salaries in the workplace. Yet when it comes to spending, women are tagged as the ones who make hard-earned money vanish faster than you can paint the word ‘Sale’.</p>.Making new friends costs money. It’s worth it..<p>Men earn, women yearn, said a standup comedian at a show I went to. And he also went on to tell us about how he didn’t report his missing credit card for days on end. “The thief is spending less than my wife…” was his explanation. Needless to say, all the men laughed much more than we women did.</p>.<p><strong>Money makers</strong> </p>.<p>Empowered women are fighting for equal pay at workplaces around the world, but still have much to achieve. Unless we’re talking about the ladies who work at the government mint, making money is still seen as a masculine talent. Our epics tell us Draupadi was one hell of a financial whiz in managing money matters for the Pandavas, but the list for the top 10 richest people today doesn’t feature a single woman’s name — they are all men. I suspect this includes, though unofficially, the Nigerian Prince who continues to scam little old ladies to part with their wealth through persuasive emails.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, with the year-end around the corner, and resolutions for a prosperous new year high on your list, remember to make this money resolution for yourself, man or woman. </p>.<p>Always live within your income. Even if you have to borrow money to do so.</p>.<p><em>(He Said/She Said is a monthly column on gender issues — funny side up. Reach the author at indubee8@yahoo.co.in)</em></p>
<p>Consider this scenario: A ten-year-old boy typically gets his first ‘job’ mowing the lawn or helping dad wash the car, and proudly receives his first 20 bucks. A ten-year-old girl looks after her younger sibling or helps mom in the kitchen — but, of course, she does it all for free. The boy gets his first experience of expecting money for work done and spends it on a treat for himself. The girl gets her first experience of expecting nothing for merely doing her female domestic duty and is content with a nod of approval.</p>.<p>As much as this is a generalisation, boys and girls get their gendered world-view about working for money quite early — including managing personal finances. Money matters are dealt with by the male in the family. Despite housewives and mothers managing household expenses with great skill and forethought, financial planning and investing are still seen mostly as the husband’s preserve.</p>.<p>Gender watchers believe that men see money as a symbol of success and power; women see it as the means to ensure security and proof of their love. Now this is making a lot of feminists I know really mad: sure, love is important, but have you ever tried to pay off a bill with a hug?</p>.<p><strong>Jokes apart…</strong></p>.<p>The story is told of a young lady intern who was advised to begin her first office presentation with a joke. So she put a picture of her pay slip in the opening slide.</p>.<p>Her male colleagues laughed the loudest (perhaps to camouflage the fact that they were getting paid much more), but women are finding it no laughing matter that a gender gap continues to prevail over salaries in the workplace. Yet when it comes to spending, women are tagged as the ones who make hard-earned money vanish faster than you can paint the word ‘Sale’.</p>.Making new friends costs money. It’s worth it..<p>Men earn, women yearn, said a standup comedian at a show I went to. And he also went on to tell us about how he didn’t report his missing credit card for days on end. “The thief is spending less than my wife…” was his explanation. Needless to say, all the men laughed much more than we women did.</p>.<p><strong>Money makers</strong> </p>.<p>Empowered women are fighting for equal pay at workplaces around the world, but still have much to achieve. Unless we’re talking about the ladies who work at the government mint, making money is still seen as a masculine talent. Our epics tell us Draupadi was one hell of a financial whiz in managing money matters for the Pandavas, but the list for the top 10 richest people today doesn’t feature a single woman’s name — they are all men. I suspect this includes, though unofficially, the Nigerian Prince who continues to scam little old ladies to part with their wealth through persuasive emails.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, with the year-end around the corner, and resolutions for a prosperous new year high on your list, remember to make this money resolution for yourself, man or woman. </p>.<p>Always live within your income. Even if you have to borrow money to do so.</p>.<p><em>(He Said/She Said is a monthly column on gender issues — funny side up. Reach the author at indubee8@yahoo.co.in)</em></p>