People claim our world is dominated by men, but is this really true? The role of women is progressing rapidly in many important areas, including financial independence and scholastic achievement. We need look no further than a few recently published studies to see evidence of female domination in these key arenas. According to a report by the American Council on Education, women comprise about 57% of enrollees at American Colleges. The New York Times cites this research in an article entitled "The New Math on Campus," and gives three explanations:
* Women have a lower drop out rate
* Women tend to achieve higher grades
* A majority of minority and low-income students are women
Experts in the field are beginning to notice the financial savvy of women. 95% of women claim that they are making or influencing the important financial decisions in the homes, according to "Financial Experience & Behaviors Among Women," a survey of 1250 female Americans conducted by that giant of life insurance and asset management Prudential Financial.
Furthermore, this past week saw the publication of Wells Fargo's "6th Annual Retirement Fitness Survey," which pointed to the fact that while women about worried about the security of the retirement, they are still motivated to act to improve the situation. Nevertheless, more than half of of the participants are confident they will have saved enough to "live the life they want" in retirement. The explosion of the Internet has contributed to this phenomenon as well. Websites like The Women's Institute for Financial Education (WIFE.org) are dedicated to helping women pursue their financial independence through education. Inspired by feminist legend Gloria Steinem's well known phrase "Every Woman Need a Wife,' this site includes features like "It's never too early to start planning for your retirement."
Other sites use humor to to put across important information, including "Girls Just Wanna Have Funds" (inspired by Cindy Lauper's well known ode to feminine fun), catering to "women who value budgeting, investing and frugality." Founded by the psychotherapist Susan Gernhart, this entertaining yet informative site publishes articles including "Women And Life Insurance: 4 Reasons Why We Need To Be Prepared For The Inevitable." This sobering piece reminds us of the importance of taking the initiative and ensuring that our spouses purchase life insurance, all in a flowing and easy to read style.
Indeed, life is short, but we live in exciting times. The exponential rise of women's power in the 21st century should give us enormous pride. As Ms. Gernhart says: "we're armed with a positive net worth and not afraid to flaunt it while breaking financial ceilings one stiletto at a time." You GO girl!
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar