Have you seen the viral "Girl-Math" Tiktoks?
You know what I'm talking about... a female sits down with a male and explains how women view spending and "math" in a comical parody that I KNOW doesn't connect or encompass all women, but if I'm honest, it gave me a chuckle.
Really - it's the psychology of spending money. One example they use is "If I have money pre-loaded on my Starbucks account, and I go to Starbucks... it is free."
WE KNOW it's not really free - but it "feels" free.
These TikToks are hilarious but also perpetuate a problematic myth - that girls are inherently bad at math, numbers, and money.
Wanna know a fun fact?
In reality, research proves girls perform just as well as boys in math on average until societal pressures kick in. Without ongoing exposure and support, girls' confidence plunges by middle school. And did you know women hold just 1/3 of all senior finance positions and 13% of CFO roles?
Why?
Well, traditionally, finances have been viewed as a "male" domain. Many women report having less access to financial education growing up and that managing the household finances was often left mainly to father figures or husbands.
Implicit biases and stereotypes around math or finance undermine confidence. Without ongoing exposure, skills don't develop and women start to question themselves.
Systemic barriers! Did you know that it was in 1974 was the year women could get a mortgage? Before then, financial institutions could legally refuse loans to unmarried women or require them to have a male co-signer. (Ummm WHAT?!?!?!)
Why is this important to know? Because it impacts our entire gender for the rest of our lives. We (women) see the world through a lens where finances can seem scary, and investment jargon seems like a foreign language. We may shy away from money talk - which keeps us STUCK. Rachel Rogers, author of "We Should All Be Millionaires" writes about WHY women need more money in their hands and the long story short is: The world is a better place when women have money.
Because when women have money, not only is there gender equality and economic growth but there is also stronger and healthier communities for our children and generations to come. Women are more likely to re-invest their money in their communities, homes, and education.
But this gap isn’t innate or irreversible.
So as funny as those TikToks maybe - stop perpetuating the problem.
Start today by doing the below:
Stop saying you are bad at math. You aren't. You just haven't tried hard enough.
If you have daughters, nieces, or young females in your life - encourage STEM, finance, and money discussions, classes, educational opportunities, etc
Never let a man fully own your finances. If you are in that situation today, make a plan to change it.
Know what money you have, where it is, and how you can grow it.
My girl Tess Waresmith is a Money Mindset Coach and she is here to change the game. Check out her podcast with me - and check her out! She has SO MANY FREE RESOURCES to help you get your money, your math, and your future RIGHT.
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