I apologize in advance, but I have to call women out for a second. We’ve been quite hypocritical about sexism. We’re always complaining about "inequality" between men and women, yet we perpetuate it. How can we expect to be seen as equals if we still expect men to provide for us?
The women of Gen-Y act like we’re independent now that we’re in our twenties, but half of my friends still actually plan to "marry rich." Ladies, we can’t have the cake and eat it, too. How do you expect to be independent when you’re depending on someone? If we don’t want men to maintain superiority, we first need to stop relying on them.
While a majority of women aren’t satisfied being stay at home mothers, many of them still aren’t comfortable being financially independent. According to a survey by a money saving website, CouponCodes4U, one third of women still prefer to depend on their partner for financial support.
While financially relying on your partner may seem like the easy way out, it isn’t that simple. By continuing this trend, we are encouraging a patriarchal society, making us the minority. Personally, I have more anxiety trusting someone for financial support than I do supporting myself. With the current divorce rate above fifty percent, it’s no wonder men decide to sign prenuptial agreements. Who wants to lose the money they worked hard for to someone who probably married them for monetary reasons in the first place?
However, it is not completely women’s fault that some of us are not ready for financial independence. Biases against women still exist in the workplace. How can we expect women to be financially independent if we don’t have equal opportunities to advance our careers? It becomes a catch-22 that inadvertently forces women to rely on men.
If women gained the means and channeled the ambition to become financially independent, it would not only bring us closer to gender equality, but also kick-start our economy. The only way for us to fight this stereotype is to stop falling into the security blanket of marrying rich and instead take a leap of faith. Be ambitious. The more independent and hard-working you are, the more people will respect you, and respect is what we need to reach equality.
