Women’s Finances Are Reeling From the Pandemic. Let’s Talk About How to Change That.

It’s often said—mostly by rich people—that the pandemic has been a great equalizer. That we all went through the same thing together: young and old, rich and poor, people of all genders.

But no one knows better than women that the pandemic did not treat all of us equally. Women took on greater childcare and domestic burdens. Millions of women have been pushed out of the workforce. Essential workers—a group made up disproportionately of women—suffered.

And all of us thought, as we pressed toward our uncertain futures: “What do I want my life to look like going forward? After making so many sacrifices, and surviving so many challenges, where should I go from here? And if I dare to dream about what’s next, can I even afford to make those dreams a reality?”

To help you—and women everywhere—answer those questions, Glamour is back with a new season of our She Makes Money Moves podcast, brought to you by Visa. Each week we’ll search for smart, joyful answers to these questions through the story of one woman, and with the help of a few financial experts.

Thinking about your finances can feel overwhelming—especially right now—but it doesn’t have to. She Makes Money Moves aims to take away that overwhelm and break it down through the prism of one woman’s very relatable experience.

This season, our guests got real about the money issues they were up against during the pandemic. In this week’s episode, you’ll meet a single mom, who, like so many working mothers, was told to work from home at the same time her children’s school pivoted to virtual learning—and then her father moved in, too. All six episodes feature stories like that one—stories that feel both extraordinary and ordinary at this moment in time. 

And in each episode, I spoke with an expert to get tips for living through what feels, financially, like the longest, rainiest rainy day. 

When Glamour launched She Makes Money Moves, our goal was to make talking about money less taboo for women. Since the first season, I’ve heard from women who built up emergency funds because of advice they heard on the podcast; women who dipped a toe into investing; and women who are being more open about money with their friends. This year, I want us to challenge ourselves even more: Let’s not just invest, but invest based on our values, whether that means electric cars or Disney stock. And let’s push the conversation further. Go out to dinner with your friends or partner and ask, “What are your financial goals? These are mine.”

Conversations about money should be fun and normal for women. But maybe you’re not there yet. Maybe you’re burned out, overwhelmed, or embarrassed about your financial situation. You don’t have to be. If there’s ever been a time to forgive yourself and give yourself a new chance to learn, it’s now.

No matter what position you’re in, COVID probably changed how you look at your finances.  We didn’t all have the same experience during the pandemic. But we’re not at all alone.

Check out episode 1 below—and subscribe to hear a new episode every Tuesday for the next five weeks.