Why Do We All Hate Talking Money?

From secret savings to hidden debt, cash is still a touchy subject in many relationships.

- Daisy Buchanan

I’m an intelligent woman. I have a degree, I studied economics at school and I’m pretty good at the numbers round on Countdown. So why do I feel sick when I think about checking my bank statement? How did I acquire nearly £7,000 worth of credit-card debt? And why did I hide it from my husband? We don’t have secrets. He knows everything about my exes and when my period is due, but when it comes to money I kept him in the dark. Mostly because I was keeping myself in the dark, too.

Behavioural psychologist Jo Hemmings explains that this is a common predicament for women, and intelligence and career success don’t automatically equate to better management of our cash. ‘In some ways, the more successful we are, the harder it becomes to organise our finances,’ she says. ‘Even when working full-time, women are often expected to take responsibility for emotional labour (shopping lists, birthday cards) and childcare.’ The Office for National Statistics found that, on average, women do 60 per cent more unpaid work than men around the house. Making time to talk to a financial advisor is the thing we’ll always put off until tomorrow, and the bottom line is that our bank account suffers.