The fact that 50% of Australian women over the age of 45 have less that $8000 in superannuation is completely alarming to me. I continue to debate, discuss and consider the implications of free childcare in Australia and other ideas around women’s financial security. Financial freedom gives people choices. The following poem was forward to me by a colleague… and rather than present more statistics about why society would be a better place with more women in leadership roles – I think this is a positive way to finish the week with a poem from Maya Angelou.
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own,
even if she never wants to or needs to…
something perfect to wear if the employer,
or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour…
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
a youth she’s content to leave behind….
a past juicy enough that she’s looking forward to
retelling it in her old age….
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra…
one friend who always makes her laugh… and one who lets her cry…
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …….
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family…
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems,
and a recipe for a meal,
that will make her guests feel honored…
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
a feeling of control over her destiny…..
how to fall in love without losing herself..
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to quit a job,
break up with a lover,
and confront a friend without;
ruining the friendship….
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW….
when to try harder… and WHEN TO WALK AWAY…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
that she can’t change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..
that her childhood may not have been perfect…but it’s over…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
what she would and wouldn’t do for love or more…..
how to live alone… even if she doesn’t like it…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW.. .
whom she can trust,
whom she can’t,
and why she shouldn’t take it personally…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
where to go…
be it to her best friend’s kitchen table..
or a charming Inn in the woods…
when her soul needs soothing…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
What she can and can’t accomplish in a day…
a month…and a year…
I find myself apparently at the end of my working life with hardly any superannuation and hating it. After striving to be financially independent and make sure I owned half of all joint assets with my partner [whom I am not formally married to], I missed out on superannuation for many years [contract employment, not permanent], got sacked unfairly 4 years ago, have no job. Because I live with someone who is employed and is over the threshold, I can't get government assistance and coming from a professional background, CentreLink has no idea how to secure a suitable job opening or even an interview for me. Since I haven't held a full-time job for 13 years, any job I apply for, without some sort of helpful backing I am rejected on the letter alone, so I can't get an interview any more. Even my Masters degree supervisor at university [I thought I'd have a better chance of work if I kept myself educated] says it it unlikely I will ever work again! It is so discouraging to be a female in our financial system. I really can't take it. My high school said I was the brightest student who had ever gone through when I left and I have worked conscientiously ever since - what a waste.