What we should do instead of celebrating women's day?

Published on Substack on 8-Mar-23 - https://utopiankerala.substack.com/p/what-we-should-do-instead-of-celebrating

Another Women's Day and there is no dearth of wishes and messages for women. I believe this is not helping anyone. We should do something else. Let me try listing a few things that anyone who is reading this can do.

What women should be doing?

1. Open a sole bank account, if you don't have one. It should not be a joint account with your spouse. You should be operating the card, cheque, internet banking, etc and not your spouse. This is the first step towards financial freedom.
2. Start driving a car. It is not enough that you have a driving licence. If you don't have a licence, get one. If it is within your means buy a car in your name. This will give you the freedom to go places.
3. Read a newspaper daily, including the editorials. Keep an appetite to know what is happening in society, economy, politics and sports. This will make you an interesting human with whom people would like to discuss things. This will open up the world for you. Even my 5-year-old says that it is men who read newspapers and women the magazines. This must change.
4. Make friends with men, other than your spouse. Men are interesting people. You can definitely find good men around who can be a very good friend. Seeing the world from their perspective will make you a better woman.
5. Ensure that all your immediate family members have medical insurance for at least 2 lakh. This will keep you prepared for any medical emergency.
6. Ensure that earning members of your family have life insurance. Not unit-linked (ULIP) but a pure term insurance with others as nominees. The term insurance must cover at least all your liabilities. This will give you a headstart in case of an unexpected death in the family.
7. Get your spouse to share all information related to assets and liabilities like land details, bank accounts, demat accounts, deposits, loans, insurance, etc and also email accounts. You must have a book that records these details preferably with login and passwords. It must be ensured that there is a nominee for all these accounts. If the spouse is running a business as a promoter you must get involved in it to the extent possible.
8. Ensure that your spouse has written a ‘will’. This can help you keep away potential disputes with the extended family.
9. Travel. I read somewhere that women marry so that they can see the world. Let the world see a happy you!
10. If you have a boy at home, take good care of him so that he becomes a man whom you would want to marry. If it is a girl, equip her to deal with the world by herself without anyone's help.

What men should be doing?

1. Just help a woman do all the above.