Empowerment through financial literacy

Over the last century, women have come a long way. We’ve taken huge strides toward social and political equality, and demonstrated our fierce independence, intelligence and determination. From Condoleezza Rice becoming the first female African-American Secretary of State to the New York stock exchange appointing its first female leader in its 226-year history, we’ve seen some major successes.

But despite the triumphs, women still face unique struggles simply on the basis of gender:

• Women earn less than men over their lifetimes.
• Only 12% of working women have access to paid maternity leave.
• Known as the “pink tax”, women’s products cost an average of 7% more than similar men’s products.

The truth is, women have more hidden costs in our daily lives and the potential for more financial setbacks in the future. But despite these challenges, women are less educated about personal finance – due in part to perceptions that finance is a “man’s issue.” Though we no longer live in a world where men are the primary breadwinners, financial education has not caught up with modern realities.

This needs to change.

We’ve made great strides toward equality, but we’re not there yet. Until that happens, it’s vitally important to our financial well-being to educate ourselves and take back control of our finances.

See Related: Financial advice: One size doesn’t fit all

Who we are

We are three women working at CreditCards.com, maintaining completely different relationships with personal finance. But despite our different backgrounds, we have the exact same goal: learning to thrive financially – not just survive.

What’s to come

If you struggle to take charge of your own finances or haven’t even thought about it yet, you’re not alone. That’s why we’re inviting you on this journey with us.

In this series, we will share financial advice by women, for women. Women face a unique set of financial challenges, and we will offer targeted advice relevant to specific needs. We’ll cover topics such as compensating for the pink tax, steps you can take to close the gender pay gap, how to plan for retirement with a longer average life span and much more.