When I was a kid, my father always named cars. He had a name for his Cadillac, a name for my mother’s station wagon, a name for my grandfather’s Oldsmobile. He named every car around.
Now, no matter how hard I search the recesses of my mind I just can’t dig out the specific names. But I do remember one thing. The names were all female.
As I thought about it more I realized we tend to assign gender-specific qualities to inanimate objects. Some objects tend to be male and some female. Though, I bet we would find some variety from person to person.
Does money have a gender? Is it male or female…masculine or feminine?
Seriously, give it a moment of thought. I’ll bet we all come up with different responses.
My experience has been that men tend to assign more masculine attributes to money. But women tend to see money as more feminine. I think I know the cause of this pattern.
The gender bias toward assigning gender to money relates to how men and women interact with money. Now, I’m making broad generalizations here, but the patterns are pretty darn strong! These patterns relate to what money does for us…that is to say what need it meets (or seems to meet) for us.
How Do Women See Money?
For women, money meets needs in the “safety and security” realm. Now, few women would say, “I feel twice as safe with $100 in my purse as with $50”. However, having adequate savings, reasonable debt, etc. generally creates a sense of stability and security.
What about women who overspend? Yes, women who habitually overspend still see money as a source of safety and security. However, they back into the feelings and end up not getting their needs met. For example, a woman who buys wanted (i.e. not needed) items for her kids or grandkids may do so, arguably, as a tool for relationship building. The idea is something like…I buy for them, they are grateful, they express gratitude and love, we become closer, I feel safe and secure.
Granted, that fictional scenario might be a bit of a stretch, but it’s a useful illustration of how finances can affect our emotional well-being, even when we have no idea anything is going on.
I’ll talk more about how men view money in my next blog post. Here’s a hint…guys interact with money completely differently from women!
Meanwhile, grab your free 30 minute strategy call with me. 30 minutes doesn’t sound like much time. But I guarantee you’ll get some new insight into your relationship with money. Again, it’s a free call with no strings attached. Grab your slot now!
Recent Comments