Subhechcha Ganguly 
Financial Independence is an important topic of discussion and who would be best to convey the message to the youth of Today, other than the Authors. The International and National Authors Panel with us has extreme knowledge , experience and have paved their way with their work. Thus we have received the Golden Opportunity tied up with Interview Times to do an interview on the Topic “ Financial Stability for Women with Psychologist Roger Harris”.
Q1) Hi Khushi !This is Roger Harris , We are so glad to have you in this platform . Please do tell us more about yourself ,your authors journey.
Ans Hello Roger glad to be interviewed by you.Talking about myself I am from Agra and currently pursuing English hons (final year).Besides that as you already know am an author and this year itself my first solo book got published with the title Chronicles of Emotions. I started off as a writer way back when I was in class 1st. I wrote my first short story at that time but never thought of getting it published. Then I started writing for my school magazine and gradually my work started getting published over there. As social media came into existence I started sharing my thoughts and poetry on various social media pages and one such page that plays a pivotal role in my authorhood journey is Soul Tales. I started off publicly as an author from that page. I got enumerous work of mine featured there and I still do, which established me as a writer amidst my mates and masses. Further I started getting approached by publishing houses for anthologies and I got featured in several anthologies and won my due accolades. I even was appreciated for my extraordinary work by one of USA based Publishing houses. Then I decided to compile my own anthology with the title The Whims and Vims of Life, which was a great success finally leading me to publish my solo book this year.
So that was all for my journey as an author .
Further adding up about myself I am a model too and I have been modeling since the age of 5. Talking about my personality I am an extrovert and I like to interact with various people and build bonds and learn about their ideologies cultures etc. I am someone with artistic persona who finds music dance drama really enticing. I am a travel freak too and traveling makes my soul happy.
Q2) Why do you feel becoming Financially independent is important and is necessary for people ?
Ans . Being financially independent is not just about having penny of your own to spend.It’s much more beyond that. When one is financially independent they feel secured in their existence. They know they are not dependent on anyone for their bread and butter. They don’t have to put up with anyone’s misbehaviour just to get some bucks.They feel safe to roam around because they have a surety of being protected by the people and to own the power to take a stand of their own if required. With financial independence comes confidence tooConfidence to live a life of their own. Confidence to refuse anything which doesn’t aligns with one’s belief system and values and follow what one really wants. They can even without a hint of fear go after their passions and have a financial security to back them up. Financial independence also makes you have belief in yourself and your capabilities that you are worth something. You have what it takes to craft out your own beautiful life in your own way. Financial independence gives you a new found hope to cope with all the struggles life throws at you because if not anything but atleast you can consider thinking about the alternatives the solutions to the problems and can even take risks or what we call it as a leap of faith that even if something doesn’t works out , we still will have a roof over our head and food in our plates.
Being financially independent also garners respect to one and they can uphold their dignity and their own standing in their family and society.
Q3)This is a very serious question and we need your understanding and take on it . So by profession I am a psychologist , in my years of career I have noticed that a lot of women who are financially well off , do submit a cut of their money or often give out their entire income to the male counterparts. Why do you think this is the case ?
Ans : That’s indeed a serious and an important topic to be discussed about.
It’s quite a generic habit we can say for women to share their earnings with their male counterparts or even submit the entire amount to them. The first reason that can be is to establish themselves as worthy and capable in front of their husbands. As we all are quite aware of how patriarchy is deeply rooted in society and everyone’s mentality and a woman by being financially independent challenges that and mocks at the age old theory that a male goes out and earns bread and butter while the woman stays encapsulated within the household dynamics. So by sharing their earnings with their husbands women tries to prove a point that even they can earn bread and butter and can run the expenses be it petty or huge. With this they establish their own individual identity in front of their husbands that they are no less and definitely independent of him and everyone else so they are no more under anyone’s obligation or boundation, they too can live a life of their own with all the dignity and is no more at the mercy of their male counterparts.
But this whole scenario has the other side as well
The other reason can be since time immemorial women have been subjugated to male domination and presumed to be meant for household job. They never had the advantage to regulate the finances of the house and they deeply were conditioned to believe that they are incapable to earn or manage the finances. That they are not educated enough or doesn’t have that intellect to regulate the finances. There is another stereotype that comes along that is women are spendthrift . All these beliefs were imposed onto women not because they really are this way , but because the then orthodox male strata knew that if women were allowed the privilege of regulating the finances and if the money would be hand over to them then the men would no more be able to suppress or manipulate women and women too will enjoy their financial freedom and then they would no more be any inferior to men. Women were made to doubt their own capability to regulate finances so that they always stay submitted to their male counterparts and rely onto the mercy of their discretion. Because undoubtedly financial independence plays a huge role in the overall development of women and if women will have all the finances under their control then they would no more be dependent or under the subjugation of their male counterparts. So this can be another reason why women tend to give a portion of their income or the entire income to their male counterparts because all these years they are made to believe by the society and the males that women are incapable of managing the finances, they don’t have what it takes to regulate the finances and it’s for the betterment if the males look after the financial management of the house .
Both the reasons given above, indeed contradict each other and that’s why I must say that the reason varies from person to person and their conditioning .
Q4) Do you feel financial independence has some say in putting one’s voice forward and raising voices on issues like abuse and domestic violence ?
Ans : I strongly believe financial independence not only uplifts one to an extent that they can take their own stand in the society but they can as well take stand for others. Firstly if a woman is financially independent she will be less prone to domestic abuse as her male counterpart as well as the other family members will be well aware of her power, that if she will be mistreated or abused she won’t put up with that as she is under no obligation of her husband or his family for her survival or anything such and also with financial independence comes individuality and a standing of your own. So the family also knows that she owns a social spot and if anything wrong would be done unto her they will be subjected to the consequences and aftermath which no person or family would want to face specially the legal consequences and the mass backlash.
This itself makes the woman feel strong in her position and encourages to voice her opinions against any sort of abuse or domestic threat. She knows that even if the world will turn their back against her she is powerful and furnished enough with all the resources to stand for herself and oppose any kind of atrocity done to her or any other woman. At the same time as she is well furnished financially and with power and name in the society she wouldn’t fear anything or anyone and would find easy to approach the respective organizations or legal professionals to her aid.
Q5) As an author what should be one quote that you want to share on Financial Independence.
Ans : With Financial Independence comes grave responsibility as freedomdemands sensibility . Financial independence is indeed the wings to one’s flight of life. It let’s you drive whichever way you want and to whichever direction you want . So follow the right direction and leave a trail of a lifestory worth aspiring for.
