A framework for feminist finance

The feminist imperative identifies structures of power and asks how these structures influence experience and impact.

We believe that financial products can help women achieve safety, stability, and success. Too often, and however unintentionally, financial security has been weaponized to threaten women’s personal safety and security. Even financial inclusion efforts themselves may exacerbate the ways women are exposed to risks.

Only after people are safe, can they look to products that bolster stability and celebrate their own definitions of success. The FemFinance framework offers a method for thinking through the suitability of a financial product, policy, or program by situating it within the structures it sits within.

safety

First, Do No Harm.
Does this financial product advance my personal safety? Does it preserve or secure my personal space? In what ways might it expose me to risks and harm?

stability

Smooth, Subsist, Level, Stabilize.
How does this product help me subsist and meet basic needs? Can I rely on these products to build stable life and lessen stress? Can I do it while preserving safety?

success

Embrace a culture of thriving!
How can I thrive in ways that continue to mitigate risks to safety and stability? Without shame or paternalism, success tools work to right systemic wealth wrongs and re-orient economic power towards those previously denied.

structures

What structures does my product, policy, or program fit within?
What power dynamics is it reinforcing or challenging?