You might not have known this, but yesterday was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. New research that was conducted as part of the events to mark the day have revealed that a third of women feel that they are trapped in a relationship due to their financial situation. This may be due to a number of issues including gender stereotypes in society. This is where males are normally seen as the bread winners in a relationship or family and go out in to the more high paying jobs which enable them to earn money for the rest of the family to ensure that they can afford the everyday items that they may need on a daily basis. This can include different varieties of food and drink which we all need to survive as well as the clothes which we all wear.
If a woman stays at home to look after the family and take care of things, they will have no financial freedom of their own and will have to rely on how ever much they can afford from their share of what their husband brings in to the family.
The findings also reveal that over three quarters of women don’t believe they will be able to afford a comfortable standard of living during their retirement years. This may drastically effect their sense of self confidence and may lead them to carry out a self fulfilling prophecy where they may be given certain labels due to their performance and work or elsewhere. If they are continually given this label, it will make it more than likely that they will fulfill this role and behave like that in real life.
Timed with this year’s theme for International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, “Invest to Prevent Violence,” the findings underscore how critical financial independence is for women’s safety, security, and freedom. Research also shows that 43% of women are not confident about making investment decisions, and that almost a quarter of women said that they lacked knowledge about investment options.
“Financial domestic abuse is chronically unreported; it is a form of coercive control that is widespread in our society. This happened to me, and it didn’t happen overnight. It was a series of behaviors which led me to rely on him to look after our finances, ‘save’ for our and our children’s future and manage the household income. It left me vulnerable. When I left, I left with nothing to get out. I am determined to change this through MoneyShe. To provide women tools, education, confidence and investment solutions to empower them for a lifetime of success, resilience and most importantly choice.” Shares Gina Miller, Founder of MoneyShe.
Through out history and in different areas of the world, there has been an increasing gender pay gap where men and women earn different amounts, even though they do the same kind of job. This is a form of discrimination against women and is seen as unlawful behavior in the work place. More should be done so that men and women are treated equally, especially when they do the same job and given support when and where necessary.
Timothy Campbell MBE, an entrepreneur and the first winner of The Apprentice, has partnered with Gina Miller at MoneyShe to help champion this mission. Both Gina and Tim invest alongside clients on exactly the same terms, asset allocation and costs.
“As a successful entrepreneur, I know how easy it is to put everything into your business and neglect your own personal finances. I made the effort to start investing early but it hasn’t been an easy journey. The industry gatekeepers use language that is intimidating which I know from speaking to my wife, daughter and female friends, which contributes to the gender investment gap.” shares Timothy Campbell who not only a MoneyShe investor but shares Gina’s passion for financially empowering women. “It shouldn’t be like this. I want all women to access the benefits of investing and feel secure that they have the choices financial freedom affords investors – be it to leave an abusive situation, start a business, support their favorite charity, and live with dignity in older age, which is why I’m delighted to join MoneyShe’s mission.”
The partnership wants to provide easy access to high yielding investment solutions that people can use to help provide and cater for them selves. This increases their sense of self confidence hand raises the level of independence we all feel in society. To find out more, please visit www.moneyshe.com
