Okay real talk — financial empowerment for women is not some cute motivational poster thing, it’s actually critical and I only figured that out after almost financially face-planting like three separate times in the last four years.
I’m literally sitting here in Faridabad at like 7-something pm, fan on full blast because the heat is trying to murder me, eating slightly stale chakli because dinner feels like a luxury right now, and thinking wow I used to be terrified of looking at my account balance. Like heart-pounding, palms-sweaty scared. And I’m an adult. Supposedly. Financial empowerment for women? Yeah I needed that yesterday.
How I Used to Be Financially Clueless (and Still Kind Of Am)
When I first started earning properly, I thought “more money = more safety”. Spoiler: nope. I blew through my first decent paycheck on stuff I can’t even remember now – probably Zomato orders and those stupid “limited time” Myntra sales. Then came the credit card. Oh god the credit card. Minimum payment became my lifestyle. I’d see the due date notification and literally feel sick, like stomach churning sick.
I didn’t know anyone IRL who talked openly about money. Not my mom, not my cousins, definitely not friends. Everyone just pretended they were fine. So I pretended too. Until one day the card got declined at the grocery store and I wanted to disappear. That was the moment financial empowerment for women stopped being abstract and started feeling like survival.
I started reading whatever I could find. Random blogs, YouTube aunties explaining mutual funds in Hindi, that American podcast by the woman who swears a lot (you know the one). Slowly slowly I realised most advice assumes you already have some safety net. Most doesn’t talk about the shame part. The “I should know this already” part. The “why am I the only one struggling” part.
Stuff That Actually Moved the Needle for Me (Even If I Still Screw Up)
Here’s what kinda worked, in no particular order and definitely not perfectly:
- Tracking literally every rupee for 30 days straight. First week I hated it. Second week I cried. Third week I got mad. Fourth week I started seeing patterns. Like why do I spend ₹400 on coffee every weekend when instant tastes almost the same?
- Opening a separate savings account nobody knows about. Not even my mom. First time I hit ₹10,000 in there I took a screenshot and stared at it like it was a newborn baby.
- Saying no to dumb group trips. This one hurt my soul because FOMO is real, but saying “sorry can’t afford rn” three times in a row actually felt powerful after a while.
- Learning the bare minimum about investing. I put tiny amounts in index funds through Groww or Zerodha. Lost money at first (thanks 2022 crash), but kept going. Now it’s boring and that’s beautiful.
The Embarrassing Parts I Don’t Like Admitting
I still impulse buy skincare when I’m anxious.
I hide Amazon packages from myself sometimes.
I’ve sent “u up?” texts to exes when I felt broke and lonely (worst combo).
Last month I ate Maggi four nights in a row because “budgeting”.
Financial empowerment for women doesn’t make you perfect. It just makes you less scared.
And yeah I still get jealous when I see girls my age posting fancy vacations. Then I remember I have zero debt now (except that stupid education loan which is on autopay and behaving itself). That feels better than any reel.
Why This Matters Way Beyond Just Me
When women have real control over money — not just earning it but keeping it, growing it, using it without guilt — everything changes. Kids eat better. Houses feel safer. Dreams stop feeling like fantasies. I read somewhere (probably World Bank or something) that closing the gender wealth gap could add trillions to economies. But honestly? I care way more about my friend who left a toxic marriage because she had six months of expenses saved. That’s the kind of power I want for every woman I know.
So yeah. Financial empowerment for women is critical because the alternative sucks. You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to start being less afraid of your own money.
