Paytm ad reveals lack of financial awareness among women

Financial inclusion, financial equality and financial literacy — these were some of the biggest takeaways from a thought-provoking video showcased by Paytm on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

Titled ‘ The Divide’, the 4-minute video has gained traction for the message it conveys.

The video recorded experience of 30 individuals (both male & female) across varied age groups and professions who were asked questions that ranged from ‘Did you learn how to ride a bicycle before the age of 10’ to ‘Do you manage your own finances and earning unassisted?’ and ‘Do you know your exact salary break up?’. For each question – participants were asked to move a step forward if the answer was YES and backwards if it was a NO.

As soon as the questions touched upon issues of personal finance and financial independence, men took steps forward. The gap was ghastly to look at!

Surprisingly, many women who were part of this social experiment had interesting careers (writers, directors, strategists) and appeared well-versed with worldly affairs while a few of them were home-makers. But they unanimously lacked financial knowledge – something as little as the difference between SIP and mutual funds, details of the financial documents they sign or details of the Union Budget.

“I did expect the gap to be there. Over the growing up years, there were certain very traditional masculine tropes assigned for him (pointing towards her brother) and certain feminine tropes assigned for me,” Anushka Gandhi, a strategist who was part of the experiment, said.

Niyati Mirani, who owns a family business, who was also part of the 30-member experiment, was left rather disappointed after the end result.

“I was upset. I wanted to be at the front of the line. I was like ‘Why do I not know this? Why am I not confident enough to say I understand this’. It was quite an eye-opener for me,” she asserted.