Moose Jaw -
Survey says: women are better with money than men.
Survey says: women are paid less than men.
Public reaction to No. 1. Yes, we know.
Public reaction to No. 2. Yes, we know.
The irony of the two surveys is inescapable. In time for International Women's Day, observed Sunday and continuing with programs throughout March, the International Trade Union Confederation surveyed 300,000 men and women around the world and concluded that the wage gap between men and women is growing.
Another survey of 9,000 men and women concluded that women are better handlers of finances than men.
My opinion: The ITUC survey says women make less money so wouldn't it follow that women would of necessity be better handlers of the cash? And if they have less cash, they have less to squander.
Both surveys were international in scope, suggesting money and its handling is a universal topic of interest to both genders, even in countries where our standard of living is only imagined.
Here at home, it is safe to say that each family has its own unique way of saving, spending, bill paying and record keeping.
In my parents' home, dad was the bread winner and mom was the one who kept track of the bills, did the books and divvied up the spending money with what remained - the profit - in accounting terms.
At income tax time, dad produced his collection of bills and receipts, and she deciphered. During that process it was wise not to interrupt, nor to laugh at the table that was filled with forms and valuable documents,
When the federal government came up with the idea of paying $18 a month per child for family allowance, that whole amount became my spending money, and I was advised to spend it wisely and hopefully, have some left over at the end of the month.
The main rule was that I should always carry some coins in my pocket in case I got stranded and had to use the pay phone. And I should also have at least five $1 bills in a safe spot for other kinds of emergencies.
Those lessons were learned well and learned long. I still hate being without change in my pocket or wallet, and I usually have a piece of folding money tucked away in case one of those emergencies pops up. Housemate laughs at my small-village paranoia, but I've never ever been stranded without a wallet, unlike someone I could name from our household.
With some of the changes to the workplace that are celebrated by International Women's Day, more women have access to their own funds and are not as dependent on others for spending money. Still, at least in homes with which I am familiar, there is a sharing of resources - some funds from the woman's job going to pay certain bills, and some funds from the man's career being dedicated to other household expenses.
Having several bank accounts in one family is an accepted fact of life - his, hers and theirs - and from those accounts, the surveys discovered, women's accounts are better managed.
If women were in charge of the stock market, the banks and the world economy, would we still be in a recession?
That's a question to ponder in another survey.
Joyce Walter can be reached at 691-1259.
