It’s no surprise that women have been the silent engine who ensure the efficient functionality of the economy. Yet we will always attach the male pronoun to the term ‘breadwinner’. With the recent global events all spearheaded by women, the attention has been brought to the ‘Female Dollar’. The undeniable impact of female agency on the global economy.
The biggest example can be the ‘Barbie’ box office, with the movie grossing over a billion dollars on a global scale, it stands as the the biggest film to be directed by just one woman. Not only has the movie helped Hollywood but also Mattel who as expected profited from the movie despite of it’s extravagant marketing budget.
Furthermore, apart from causing an earthquake, Swifties have also contributed to the this phenomenon as well. Taylor Swift’s Era’s Tour is estimated to bring in $1.4 billion, making it the highest-grossing tour of all time. Misty L. Heggeness, A Kansas University Professor is writing a book called “Swiftynomics: Women in Today’s Economy“.
In an article for Medium she describes the term as follows:
“It’s the style of iterative, reinventive, look-what-you-made-me-do feminism that has everything to do with how we interpret and understand the economic actions of women today. Demonstrated effectively by Taylor Swift (and embodied by the very fans who pushed back against Ticketmaster for the online debacle of sales for The Eras tour), it builds off of generations of women who, for centuries, have reinvented their role in the economy and the world around them.”
According to Market Watch, the spending on the Beyoncé Renaissance Tour has affected the inflation in two countries, showing the alarming impact women led concerts have had this Summer.
Closer to home, you can also see the rise of the ‘Female Rupee’. It may be barely visible but it exists, fights and dreams. Despite of the news being filled with violence, assault and discrimination against them, women continue to fight for their dreams, one day, one step, one scented candle order, one home cooked meal order at a time.
With the digitalization revolution, women have been able to skip the hurdles of commute and infrastructure. Many women have chosen Instagram as their savior. Be it a candle making business or embroidered kurtas, the online platform allows women to take control of their craft and medium and earn from their skills.
The Home Chef feature on FoodPanda-A food delivery app in Pakistan has allowed women to see their duty of ‘cooking’ in a new light. It’s a skill that can help them monetize their efforts.
Various freelancing platforms including Upwork and Fiver have enabled women to work from home and utilize their skills. The incredible influencer network on Instagram has also allowed women from various fields to have a an earning of their own without the traditional form of investment. Many female doctors who are not allowed to practice are able to earn money through paid partnerships on the platform as well.
From Mahira Khan representing Pakistan at Cannes Film Festival to Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy winning at the Oscars, from Mehwish Hayat and Samina Ahmed joining the Marvel Universe to Ayisha Siddiqa becoming the face of Time Magazine, Pakistani women are adding purpose to their efforts and we couldn’t be more proud of them.
It’s onwards and upwards for the female rupee!
