MoneyHarmony.com
Skip Links
Olivia Mellan
Contact Me Contact Me

Moneyharmony Gems

Women's vs. Men's Money Myths and Blind Spots

Women's Money Myths:

  1. Money is too complicated for me to understand (and a corollary: learning about money is tedious and boring)
  2. I don't have enough money to do anything with.
  3. If I risk my money, I'll lose everything.
  4. I don't have enough time to manage my money well.
  5. It's selfish to put myself first - I'm supposed to take care of everyone else.
  6. If I get too good at this money stuff, I might antagonize intimates - or I could even end up alone; and
  7. If I'm lucky, some man (or someone else) will take care of my money for me.

Men's Blind Spots:

  1. Learning about money just comes naturally to us men.
  2. If I make more money, I get to decide how it's spent.
  3. I don't have to ask my wife's permission to buy something.. or it's humiliating to have to talk to you about buying something.
  4. If I have money problems, it's someone else's fault.
  5. It's humiliating to admit I don't know as much as you do about money.
  6. I rather keep living with denial about a bad investment than admit I made a mistake.
  7. When I give to charity, it's important to be the most generous donor.

Note: Generalizations are sometimes dangerous and sometimes useful. Many men and women are NOT like these generalizations - some couples experience total role reversal. It's just useful to understand the influence of socialization and social conditioning around gender issues to help individuals and couples feel less isolated and alone in their struggles.