“All the Single Ladies” readalong: Chapters six and seven

Money is the topic of the next two chapters in our readalong of the book  “All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation” by Rebecca Traister. The titles of chapters six and seven say it all: “For Richer” and “For Poorer.”

In “For Richer,” one quote sums it well: “Dependency on men, primarily through marriage, was the perpetual condition of centuries of women. And many women, whether or not they are politically active, ideologically committed feminists, or whether they have simply considered the lives of their mothers and foremothers, understand, under their skin that the heart of independence lies money.”

Women often delay marriage “to set down professional roots.” They find satisfaction in work and education. They also have more money to spend -- but that comes at the expense of other single women who toll away in working class jobs.

And for most Americans, as Traister notes in “For Poorer,” “Work is the center of life, not because they yearn for it to be, but because it has to be.”

Single women often use services such as takeout, laundry and housekeeping “that allow women who are not wives to live as if they had wives,” but they are frequently provided by poor women.

Single women face other economic hurdles: they pay more for insurance and do not have tax breaks. And single mothers have it worse. Not only do they face a political backlash, but politicians promote policies aimed at marriage. Despite the obstacles, single motherhood gives women purpose and “lifelong bonds of love.”

Do you experience financial freedom? Do you enjoy deciding how you can spend your money? Is it harder financially than sharing costs with a husband or a roommate? Are there expenses you wish you could share with others?