![\"Financial](\"https:\/\/apicms.thestar.com.my\/uploads\/images\/2026\/05\/08\/3897984.jpg\")
Financial management can weigh mothers down, if it is not handled well. Photo: The Stargraphics<\/p>\nBehind\u00a0every carefully managed household budget is something rarely discussed: the emotional and mental strain of making sure it all works.<\/p>\n
While budgeting may sound straightforward, financial literacy advocate Aisya Rahman says the reality is far more complex.<\/p>\n
Although many women are effectively the \u201cchief financial officers of the home\u201d, she notes that the title does not always come with equal support or decision-making power.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot every household is the same,\u201d says the co-host of the Financial Saja podcast.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome women are sole breadwinners, some support extended families, and some rely fully on their spouses. When responsibilities differ, so does decision- making power.\u201d<\/p>\n
What makes it harder, she adds, is not the idea of budgeting \u2013 but the implementation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe hardest part is the execution, which requires you to sit with discomfort and face the truth as you tell yourself again and again that you don\u2019t have enough,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho can handle this kind of harsh truth? This is why many women struggle to stick to budgeting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over time, this can turn simple money management into what she describes as \u201ccrisis management\u201d, where every decision feels urgent and high-stakes.<\/p>\n
Financial management can weigh mothers down, if it is not handled well. Photo: The Stargraphics<\/p>\n
Why knowledge matters<\/p>\n
Aisya, who founded Aisya Rahman Advisory, says the lack of financial literacy \u2013 especially in crisis management \u2013 often pushes women away from engaging with money matters altogether.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is what mothers today need to learn and champion for themselves,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce they understand basic money management and can tell the difference between right and wrong financial choices, they will start to take financial education seriously.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinancial education is a need \u2013 not a want,\u201d she stresses. \u201cRich or poor, everyone must learn.\u201d<\/p>\n
More importantly, she says, financial knowledge gives women a sense of control \u2013 especially in uncertain times.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnxiety often comes from trying to predict the future,\u201d she explains. \u201cWhile we cannot control the future, having financial knowledge helps us feel more prepared for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among the basics women should understand, she says, are overnight policy rate (OPR), managing debt responsibly, maintaining a good credit score and navigating financial decisions during difficult periods.<\/p>\n
But beyond knowledge, she believes financial literacy also shapes the future of the next generation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen women understand how money works, they gain a sense of control, and that changes how the next generation grows up,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Children, she adds, learn more from what they see than what they are told.<\/p>\n
Aisya also points out that the environment you are in matters.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe people around you shape how you think about money \u2013 which is why finding the right support system is so important.\u201d<\/p>\n
From coping to clarity<\/p>\n
True financial empowerment, Aisya says, is not about doing more or earning more.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about clarity \u2013 knowing what you can and cannot do with your money, and making decisions based on that.\u201d<\/p>\n
While side hustles can help, they are not always the answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to be realistic about your time and energy,\u201d she says. \u201cSometimes, better money management is more powerful than earning extra income.\u201d<\/p>\n
To move from simply paying bills to building long-term security, she emphasises the need for a mindset shift.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe often romanticise the \u2018sacrificing mother\u2019, but there is nothing romantic about being broke and having to depend on your children because you did not plan for your retirement,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe kids never asked for posh schools, for example \u2013 that was our choice. We must stop sacrificing our retirement savings for a lifestyle we cannot afford.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her advice for those feeling overwhelmed is to start by changing perspectives.<\/p>\n
\u201cView your bills as an exchange for your goals \u2013 the home that shelters your family, the education that supports your children,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen your perspective shifts, you move from simply surviving to building something secure.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Behind\u00a0every carefully managed household budget is something rarely discussed: the emotional and mental strain of making sure it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":438576,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[72,176,61,60,9338,174,175],"class_list":["post-438575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-personal-finance","tag-business","tag-finance","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-na","tag-personal-finance","tag-personalfinance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=438575"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438575\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/438576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=438575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=438575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=438575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}