On February 28, 2026 — in the spirit of International Women's Day — more than thirty women gathered at the Ruben Hoar Library in Littleton, Massachusetts, brought together by the New England Malayalee Association, to do something rare: talk honestly about money, identity, and the things that quietly shape both.

We discussed two topics that don't often share the same stage: menopause and money. Not because they are the same conversation — but because, for many women in midlife, they are happening at the same time. And the silence around both is costing us.

This is what we learned.

Why This Conversation, Why Now

The gender wealth gap is not a myth. It is a measurable, compounding reality. Women have about 32% less saved by the time they retire than men do. The median retirement savings for women approaching retirement age is $185,000 versus $269,000 for men. And among single women nearing retirement age, 67% have less than $100,000 in assets.

The reasons are structural, not personal. Women earned an average of 85 cents for every dollar men earned in 2024. They are more likely to take career breaks for caregiving. They live longer — an average of 83.1 years compared to 78.7 years for men — which means their money must last longer. And yet they are less likely to invest.

As of 2024, 71% of women invest in the stock market — more than ever before. But investing confidence remains a gap. 60% of women aren't confident they will be able to retire comfortably, compared with 73% of men. The knowledge is there. The instinct is there. What's missing is permission — and process.

The Topic We Don't Connect to Money: Menopause

We brought menopause into the conversation because it belongs there. For women in their 40s and 50s, menopause is not just a health event — it is a financial one.

A national survey by AARP reveals 90% of women ages 35-plus experience one or more menopause symptoms — five different ones on average. With nearly 50 million women in the U.S. labor force in that age group and symptoms often lasting up to a decade, menopause has significant economic implications.

A Stanford University study found that women who sought treatment for menopause symptoms experienced an average 10% income drop within four years — precisely the years when retirement savings should be accelerating. Women avoid initiating projects; self-employed women lower their prices; employees decline promotions. The economic damage is enormous.

In the room, several women named this directly. The fatigue. The quiet withdrawal from financial decisions at exactly the moment when those decisions matter most. We gave it a name: the financial clock. That internal voice that says your window to act is closing.

What We Discovered: The Four Financial Archetypes

Every woman in the room completed the SIP Archetypes Quiz™ — a tool designed not to judge, but to locate. Where are you, right now, in your relationship with money? What strategy has your nervous system built around it?

The results revealed four distinct patterns. No archetype is wrong. Each is a coherent response to a real set of circumstances. Understanding yours is the beginning of changing it.

The most striking finding: not a single woman in the room identified as a Cash Hoarder. These were women who want to act. The question was never motivation. It was always method.

The Question That United the Room

Of all seven questions in the quiz, one revealed something extraordinary. We asked:

This is not a room of women who are afraid of money. This is a room of women who are hungry for it — hungry to understand it, to own it, to stop being spectators in a game they are more than capable of playing.

The archetype we named — Emerging Investor — is not a deficit. It is a threshold. And 76% of the women in that room were standing at it together.

What We Asked Everyone to Do Next

We ended the session not with a lecture, but with a commitment. Each woman chose a partner in the room — for accountability. Then she was given one action to complete within 48 hours, matched to her archetype.

Not a financial plan. Not a portfolio overhaul. One small act — designed to interrupt the inertia that keeps even the most capable women in a holding pattern.

Identity does not shift through insight. It shifts through proof — small, repeated, witnessed actions that tell a new story about who you are in relationship with money.

Why International Women's Day Is the Right Day for This

International Women's Day is often celebrated with speeches about how far we have come. And we have come far. But the retirement savings gap, the investing gap, the career interruptions of menopause — these are not victories yet. They are the next frontier.

The New England Malayalee Association brought a room of accomplished, thoughtful, community-rooted women together. What surprised me was how quickly the conversation went deep. These were not women who needed to be convinced that money matters. They needed a space where it was safe to say: I don't fully understand mine. And I want to.

That is where financial authority begins.

This post is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Nothing here should be construed as a solicitation or offer to buy or sell any security.