Financial Independence First Step Towards Gender Equality

Financial independence can be the first step to gender equality. It's the most important effort every woman should aim at - having her own money. SheThePeople interviewed Aditi Kothari, Director on the Board at DSP investment Managers.

What money does to women and their confidence? 

Aditi shared her perspective on how money changes the confidence for a woman."If you are a working woman, we all wanna take some time off to have children, we get six months of maternity leave but sometimes you want to take some more time and I think it is very personal and if you are used to getting your salary, you may feel not so confident or less powerful because not earning your money in the time that you may take beyond the 6 months, but then plan it such. You can get passive income if you have invested your money you'll be getting some return from that money."

So is money, power?

I think it's confidence and confidence give you inside power, Kothari added. Moreover, money and confidence go hand in hand if you have the money, you are independent and it automatically boosts your confidence. 

“Money speaks sense in a language all nations understand.” Aphra Behn said this a few years ago. But it's possibly time women start looking into this like never before. Women need to start investing now. There are many good reasons for that.

• Reaching financial goals
• Investing for education of oneself, family members
• Planning for retirement
• Planning for fun, travel, goals, diamonds, cars whatever you would like to have
• Planning for parents. We think as women we don't have to save, spend on our own parents because society thinks otherwise. But we must.

These are only a few reasons and one can have different reasons to invest. It's definitely worth thinking about how we can make investments, savings and not fear them. One study notes that investing is possibly the best tool for women to achieve financial independence.

Here's our conversation with Aditi Kothari on how money makes women confident.

Who is Aditi Kothari?

Aditi Kothari heads the sales and marketing e-business and serves as a member of the executive committee of DSP Investment Managers. She is the daughter of Hemendra Kothari who was an early started in investment banking and the great-granddaughter of one of the founders of the Bombay Stock Exchange.