Problems for Married Women

Posted by: Michael S. | Dec 30,2007


Maybe this entry shouldn’t go in the newlywed category.  It doesn’t seem right to talk about marriages going south before they’ve begun.  Then again, the reason that many marriages do go south is because of money problems.  Working out these financial difficulties can lead to marriage longevity.

Check out this interesting article titled, “The Five Mistakes Married Women Make.” If you’re at all squeamish about the prospect of divorce, the comments on that article are pretty dire about divorce.  I’ve touched on how married couples can have problems if they’ve both got different financial outlooks: one saves money, one spends, one wants to make a lot of money, the other doesn’t – that sort of thing.  Another important issue needs to be added to this: the fact that men are in control of finances in a marriage, no matter what his personal outlook on saving and debt.  Of course, there are exceptions, but overall men take the lead in financial management.  

For women, this leads to real trouble, especially if the marriage ends in divorce.  As is common with articles like this, it outlines a nightmare scenario.  The husband set up separate bank accounts in his own name, which the wife was not able to access after the marriage broke up.  This really appears like an unhealthy situation and the husband was a conniving gold digger.  But looking at the extreme can show you what to be careful of avoiding.  

Joining accounts is more than just good fiscal management, but it’s also good for the marriage.  It puts you both in the same financial boat.  Even if you’re terrible at money management, it’s still important to have access to your own money.  Ironically, joining accounts can help a spouse become more financially independent, as she’ll be able to access these accounts whenever she needs to.  It’s very important to have some idea about household finances, so you know how money is being spent and how much debt is being incurred.  As I mentioned, this isn’t all about navigating finances post-divorce, but it can make for a much healthier marriage.  

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