I was talking to someone dear to me, someone I love and respect.
We were sorting out something small and I asked her to send me EcoCash.
And she calmly said,
“I don’t have EcoCash.”
I paused.
She has lived in Zimbabwe for years.
EcoCash is not luxury — it’s survival.
So I genuinely asked,
“But why don’t you have EcoCash?”
Her answer shook me.
She said,
“Why would I need EcoCash?
When I need to swipe, I use my husband’s card.
If I need cash, my husband gives me cash.”
I pushed further,
“Okay… do you at least have your own bank account?”
She said no again.
Calmly.
Confidently.
As if it made perfect sense.
“No. My husband has a bank account.
Everything we need is covered.”
Girl child, let me speak to you honestly:
This is not love.
This is dependency dressed up as comfort.
A woman must not be so disconnected from reality
that she does not have her own EcoCash,
her own bank account,
her own documentation,
her own footprint in the financial system
— in 2025.
Yes, marriage is partnership.
Yes, love carries responsibility.
Yes, a good man provides — but provision is not possession.
Because life is unpredictable.
Things change.
People fall sick.
Banks freeze accounts.
Emergency decisions need YOUR signature.
Family needs YOUR contribution.
Children need YOUR structure.
You need YOUR identity.
You cannot outsource your entire existence to another adult — even one you love.
Marriage should add to a woman, not erase her.
And hear me well:
This is not about becoming rebellious.
This is not about becoming “too independent.”
This is not about fighting leadership in the home.
This is about basic empowerment.
Basic identity.
Basic responsibility.
You should be able to transact.
You should be able to receive money.
You should be able to send money.
You should be able to stand in a bank queue if your husband is traveling.
You should be able to buy bread even if he is offline.
You should be able to handle your own personal emergencies.
A bank account is not disrespect.
EcoCash is not rebellion.
Financial literacy is not feminism.
Basic independence is not “trying to be the man.”
It is WISDOM.
Girl child, never let love make you financially invisible.
Never let comfort make you unprepared.
Never let provision make you passive.
Never let marriage shrink your identity.
A woman must be able to stand — even while she is loved.
And a good man is not threatened by that.
#GirlChild #FinancialWisdom #Empowerment #MarriageAndIdentity #NicoleRuvimboMarara