TOA bank account today seems the most normal thing in the world. But in the past, for Italian women it has not always been like this. To manage your money, in fact, It served the permission of her husband. Only the 1975 family law reformjust fifty years ago, recognizing for the first time legal equality between the spouses, made this barrier fall. Until that date, the civil code provided that she was her husband who “administered” the money of the family. And for this reason it was a historic turning point in the path of women’s freedom.
A bank account for women: a right that is only 50 years ago
We wanted battles and clashes, but that legislative change, which gave women access to money, It wasn’t just an economic question, But the key to opening the door of true autonomy. It was a political and cultural gesture, as if to say: like any right, when denied, it takes away much more than it seems. And, in this case, what he removed was independence, choices and future. That is, self -determination.
Economic independence as an instrument of freedom
Today, the idea that money is a control tool should no longer scandalize. There are strongly many stories of economic violencein which a woman is trapped not only for fear, but because she does not have an account, an income, an action margin. For this reason, economic autonomy must be guaranteed, especially to women. It is the first step of personal freedom. But financial independence is not born only from income. We need knowledge. It serves “an education” that he tends to understand How a mortgage or pension works, to read a contract or plan an investment for the future.
Fifty years ago Italian women got the freedom to manage their money. A historic turning point (pexels)
Financial education is citizenship education
Yet, even today, The numbers tell us about a strong delay that mainly concerns women. Second An investigation by the Bank of Italy of 2023Italian women have less financial literacy on average compared to men, e are more exposed to the risks of economic instability. The problem is not only structural, but also cultural. In many Italian families, for generations, the idea that “money deals with him” has been handed down. So the women dealt with everything, except for money.
Stories that teach
Still, there are extraordinary stories of women who have rewritten the rules. Just think of Maria Montessoriwhich in addition to revolutionizing pedagogy, was also one of the first women to manage their copyrights in full autonomy, in an era in which women did not even have access to a current account. Or Tina Anselmipartisan, trade unionist and then first Minista Donna della Repubblica, who immediately understood that There could be no real emancipation without economic independence. And he beat for the rights of the workers in an Italy still profoundly male chauvinist.
Women who change society from below
The lesser known, but not less powerful stories should not be forgotten: Migrant women who have started small entrepreneurial activities in the peripheral neighborhoods of our cities, female cooperatives who regenerated the territories affected by earthquakes, Manager and freelancers who have broken the silence on the Gender Pay Gapbringing real data, experiences and proposals. All stories, different from each other in time, context and language, but who share a precise message: To be truly free, you have to be autonomous. Also, economically.
The economic independence of women is something more
Today, unfortunately, despite the fact that 50 years have passed, the situation is not so encouraging: on the one hand, access to work and income for womencontinues to be characterized by inequalities and precariousness. On the other, financial education It has not yet been structurally in training processes. That, it is clear, it does not mean making all investment consultants become. It only means teaching girls and boys, of course, that managing their money is a fundamental part for their autonomy. It means giving them the tools to choose, so as not to depend and to build one’s future with awareness.