Men still make the most money in the average household, but it's women who control the purse strings.
Men still make the most money in the average household, but it's women who control the purse strings.
While that's been acknowledged informally for some time in Canada, a new survey by the Bank of Montreal suggests there is no reason to doubt the truism.
In a report tied to Mother's Day, the bank says a recent survey of about 1,500 people shows that in 82 percent of Canadian households, women are either the primary decision-maker or have equal responsibility for financial decisions.
"We can still say women earn less than men over their entire career ... but they do make around 80 percent of the decisions around spending," said Tina Di Vito, head of BMO's retirement division.
"Even on things like the family car, women are very involved in selecting a car that is appropriate for their needs."
The BMO report, done in conjunction with Boston Consulting Group, shows women are also gaining financial power by virtue of their earnings and now control about one-third of all wealth in North America.
Still, the study released Thursday suggests women remain on average less confident than men about finances.
Men are more likely than women to have investments and a financial plan by a factor 62 percent versus 52 percent, the bank said.
They also tend to be less prepared for retirement due to a variety of factors, including lower earnings, intermittent work histories and longer life spans.
Di Vito said the gap is closing in many areas where women are lagging.
"There is still a gap, but it's getting less and less. Even in the area of retirement, baby boomer women are the first generation of women retirees that actually control their own personal wealth," she said.
如今在普通家庭中，男人仍然是主要的经济支柱，但女人却掌握着家中的财政大权。
尽管在加拿大，这一模式早前就已得到民众认可，但蒙特利尔银行的一项新调查表明这一老生常谈是无可置疑的。
在一份母亲节相关报道中，该银行称他们近日一项对1500人的调查显示，82%的加拿大家庭中，女性或者是主要决策者，或者平分经济决策权。
蒙特利尔银行离退办的主任缇娜•迪•维托说：“可以说，女性在整个职业生涯中赚的钱仍然没有男性多，但家庭开支上约80%的决定是由女性做出的。”
“即使是购买家用车这样的东西，女性也会密切参与其中，选择一款适合自己需要的车。”
蒙特利尔银行和波士顿咨询集团联合撰写的这份报告显示，女性也凭借自身收入获得了更多财政权力，现在女性控制了北美全部财富的三分之一。
周四发布的这一报告还显示，平均来看，女性在理财上依然不如男性自信。
银行称，男性相比女性更可能去投资或制定理财计划，这么做的男性为62%，而女性为52%。
女性为退休所做的准备一般也不如男性充分，这是由多种原因导致的：收入低、职业经历时断时续、寿命更长。
迪•维托说，在许多女性理财观念落后于男性的地区，这一差距正在缩小。
她说：“差距依然存在，但正在不断缩小。即使退休了，婴儿潮一代女性却是第一代能真正掌控个人财富的退休女性。”
truism: 自明之理；老生常谈
by virtue of: 由于；凭借
intermittent: 间歇的；时断时续的