The world of finance has changed significantly for women in recent decades, as has the way they think about money.

As more women have entered the workforce, taking over the financial management of households and beginning to become the main breadwinners in families, the way in which women manage money and plan their financial world has also changed. Every stage of your life requires careful financial planning to ensure that you, your family, and your legacy are safe.

A recent VISA study discovered the following facts about the way women think about money:

Women and money

57% of millennial women and 52% of those belonging to Generation X associate money with independence.
76% of millennial women and 78% of those belonging to Generation X associate money with security.
62% of women say they would not quit their jobs, no matter how much money their partner makes.
1 in 2 women believe they are not fairly rewarded in their jobs.

If these attitudes about money are familiar to you, you may be a woman who worries about your financial future.

I tell you my experience. Currently I am an expert in training individuals, families and the self-employed to have a good relationship with money and achieve healthy finances. I started very young, at the age of 19, to work in a Financial Institution, a world classically dominated by men, with a mentality towards money very different from that of women. Currently, the female presence in companies, Banks and Savings Banks is widespread.

How did we feel? On the one hand, there was great curiosity about this silent invasion of women in the financial arena. On the other hand, we felt a certain rejection. Some of our colleagues openly expressed their dissatisfaction with the fact that women who "should be at home" and "leave their jobs to men" had been given the opportunity.

But the labor revolution had long started in the world, especially in the most advanced countries. Women, definitely, had prepared and trained in schools and universities to occupy a space in the social and work panorama. So my colleagues and I made ourselves known for being hard-working, serious, compliant, and effective. In addition, we are discreet, in the background, far from the ambitions of promotion that our male colleagues showed.

Since that time, my professional career in Banking and Savings Banks has developed until I occupy managerial positions and have a broad knowledge of the complex financial world. What do I value the most about this stage? I have had the opportunity to meet thousands of people and discover their patterns of how they relate to money and finances. Throughout my personal and professional experience, I have understood the emotional difficulties that prevent people from accessing a wealth mentality. Now I share my knowledge with people in a practical way.

What difficulties do women have, even today, in the economic sphere?

Women, especially those in the rural world, have difficulties in mastering finances. The "roles" of men and women were once very well defined. The contribution of income to the home, historically, has corresponded to men. The woman was in charge of raising and taking care of the house. Understanding bank statements, card contracts, instant loan, financial products, and all the extensive banking terminology has been difficult for women.

How has this lack of financial education influenced women?

If the woman decides to start a business, it's going to be difficult for her to develop a business plan that includes the essential pillars for its viability: Product, Marketing, Marketing, Financing, Sales Channels.

Key # 1: Women still need to reinforce their knowledge in the area of finance, know financial and banking terminology, know how to prepare a business plan and anticipate its viability. The benefits are important: They will feel more secure, they will be able to focus on the specialty they have. Finances will cease to be a problem but rather a resource to manage.

Is it difficult for women to exercise their leadership in economic matters?

Oh, for so many years occupying a second place in society leaves its mark on women. Women have been occupying positions in society and exercising responsibilities, albeit at the cost of enormous personal effort to achieve the best at work, at home, with family and children. The reconciliation of personal and professional life is a pending issue in our country.

So many open fronts, together with the lack of support from governments, has made women choose in many cases to occupy more discreet jobs, to deal with family businesses, trying to maintain the difficult balance of exercising business leadership with the role of wives, mothers and daughters.

Key #2: Women must promote policies to reconcile personal and professional life that allow us to have essential economic, social and educational coverage in the years of raising and educating children. In this way, when the woman does not have most of the responsibility for the upbringing and care of the home on herself, she can also focus on professional development, exercising the leadership that is proper to her.

At this point, despite the fact that 60% of graduates are women and have the best records, there is still no effective correspondence between that preparation and their presence in management positions. Women represent a great talent potential for companies, which is already evident in their excellent academic records and in their results in competitive examinations and the first years of their professional career, which cannot be wasted. It would be very effective to promote from civil society, rather than from public instances, a platform that had broad support that had as its objective the promotion of the use of female talent in business and productive activity ".

In summary, I think that there is still a very large gap in the occupation of women in managerial positions, especially in finance. In my opinion, women, because of our values, exercise an important benefit in the productive society. We are more prudent in taking risks, we tend to think of social and economic needs for our education as "caregivers." Leadership, professional development and a good relationship with money are interrelated. We have a lot to do.