$avvy Screening: The Power of Money as a Tool for Change in Women’s Lives
“Things change based on the flow of money. As long as we’re not talking about money, we’re giving away our power," said Beth Bengsten, founder of Working for Women, who led a recent discussion about women’s relationship to money. Read on to learn more about what can happen when women take control of their financial power!
Last week women gathered in MPR to watch $avvy, a documentary directed by Robin Hauser about how women can take control of their personal finances to create change. Hosted by CCE, Working for Women, and Third Eye Associates, the screening led to an important discussion around financial literacy, wealth building, financial independence, the psychology of spending, and the vital role women can play in reshaping the American economy.
The conversation couldn’t have come at a better time. The film was particularly relevant at the beginning of Women’s History Month and used a historical, political, and psychological lens to inform its analysis of women and finance. This encouraged a lively dialogue about women’s rights, the wealth gap, and how women can disrupt the traditionally male-dominated space of finance.
$avvy highlights the stories of women who had a personal reckoning with their own financial literacy. The women featured in the film were open and transparent about their journey into finance. Many had struggled with student loan debt, credit card debt, financial abuse in relationships, divorce, or a sudden loss that forced them to reevaluate their financial stability.
“The purpose of this film is to empower people and get them to really think about money’s role in their own lives, then getting us to collectively think about how money is being used within our society, and taking back our power by not being afraid to talk about money,” said Beth Bengsten, who led the discussion and is founder of Working for Women, an organization dedicated to empowering women to take charge of their personal finances.
The women's stories in the film demonstrate vulnerability, something which in turn affected members of the audience, as explained in the discussion that followed. The emphasis $avvy placed on the importance of women having honest conversations about finances with one another was put into practice during the discussion following the film.
$avvy had an additional focus beyond women simply taking control of their savings, credit score, and loans; it also encouraged women to get involved in investing and stocks. Financial markets are the largest generator of wealth in the United States, but is a space women tend to avoid. The film and discussion showed attendees that when women choose to invest in the markets, they outperform men (likely due to their strong risk assessment skills). This is a remarkable transformation of financial power, especially considering the history of women in finance. Women could not open bank accounts independent from their husbands until the 1960s and couldn’t hold a mortgage until the 1970s. “I don’t believe that we’re going to change a lot of social issues in this world until we get more money into the hands of women, and we start balancing who is making a lot of the decisions in regards to capital and where it’s flowing,” said Bengsten.
Bard’s progressive campus environment makes it the perfect space to recenter women in financial discourse and collectively organize around the power of money as a tool for change. “There isn’t a lot of financial literacy organizing going on at Bard, which strikes me as a really big missing piece in student skill sets,” said Erin Cannan, Vice President for Civic Engagement. “Watching $avvy made me realize that financial literacy is a place where people can gain a huge skill and also feel like they can take some action. This is a moment when people are looking for ways to move forward, and this is a really good one that can serve so many members of our community and empower them in meaningful ways. ” she added.
Bengsten echoed the sentiment, saying, “What I want people to be thinking about now, and especially students here at Bard, is the fact that we voted in November, but you can vote every single day with how you're spending your dollars. That's a vote that we all have. If you're able to get the collective piece together, companies change their practices. Things change based on the flow of money. As long as we’re not talking about money, we’re giving away our power.”
The Annandale Advocate would like to thank Beth Bengsten and Erin Cannan for their time and thoughtful responses. If you are interested in taking control of your financial power, check out the Working for Women’s financial resources page.
Post Date: 03-07-2025