Women, Money and Power

Half the Sky authors explain that women's lives in developing countries improve enormously, when they become income earners. Men have increased respect for them and treat them better when the women have control of some money. Even if this better treatment is largely to encourage the woman to continue to bring in the added revenue, it is better treatment nonetheless and that is a good thing, in countries where women are treated as second-class citizens.

Organisations like Kiva, set women up with loans so they can build small businesses, like stalls at markets, selling produce that they have made themselves. The women form loan groups, which meet weekly, to discuss how their businesses are going and how they are achieving the goal of paying back their loan.

The book claims that these loan clubs have enormous potential not only to improve the lives of the women involved, but also the communities they are a part of, because of the spending habits of women. Basically, when women earn money, their children, grandchildren and the elderly benefit. Conversely, when men earn money, the ones to benefit are the men. Men in developing countries by large, spend their meagre income on sweet drinks, alcohol, sex and candies.

This book has me thinking about the relationship between men, women and money. I'll run the risk of sounding completely cliched, but here it is: it's all about power. Throughout the world, men have a higher capacity to earn. This means that they hold the balance of power. In traditional societies, especially where women do not earn any money, they are virtually powerless, but they can gain a higher status very quickly, once they are seen as economically beneficial to a family. For those who have no access to opportunity like loans, the sad reality of how women benefit their families, is seen in the enormous human trafficking industry, where girls are sold for cash to families struggling to feed themselves.

I've been thinking a lot about how this imbalance of power between men and women does not exist only in developing countries. Women still earn less than men in my country and for women who decide to put their children's care as a priority, in front of income or career, they are faced with the situation that there are very limited means of earning considerable income during school hours.

It seems that a woman has to make a choice. Continue to work full-time and put her kids in extended care, stay at home earning no income, or get part-time employment, earning a pittance, doing menial work. It's not much of a choice, really.

I've been looking for jobs for months now and everything in my field is for longer hours than I wish to spend away from my home and children. There are plenty of cleaning and service industry jobs.

The other day, my grandmother told me not to worry about looking for a job. She told me that a woman looking after her children was already doing a full-time job and that anything outside of the home, that interfered with the proper handling of household duties, was to be avoided. I chuckled to myself, that her view about the role of women was about as long-gone as the dinosaur. I know I'm a rare woman, to be living today, just like she did, 50 years ago. What makes me different from her, however, is that I do not feel so relaxed about how the balance of power rests.