Relatable: Women breadwinners should discuss financial arrangements with spouse

SHAH ALAM - It is important for women who are breadwinners of their families to discuss financial arrangements with their spouse.

Filmmaker Izzy Chan said women should consider their husbands' opinion on the family income as communication was the key to navigate the power dynamic.

“There’s also this subconscious where we talked about "my" money or "our" money.

“Women breadwinners might feel a little bit guilty when it comes to this but remember that it is not "my" money, it is "our" money.

"You need to encourage your spouse to also think like that because the issue is that a lot of men feel like that is your (women) money and suddenly feel like they don’t have much options and could not buy things,” she said.

Chan said this during Sinar Daily's talk show, Relatable entitled "When The Role Flips" which was broadcasted at 11am on Tuesday on all Sinar Daily digital platforms.

She said the husbands' contributions must be taken into consideration because it would not be possible for the women to earn income if it were not for their husbands who took care of the house and children.

Chan who directed award-winning documentary "The Big Flip: Stories from the Modern Home Front" and also the breadwinner of her family also shared how both her and her husband have similar amount of pocket money since they believed that they have equal contributions for the money earned.

“For us, what I earned goes into the family income and we both have the same amount of pocket money.

"So it is not like I have more money to spend than he does.

“We have equal spendings and this is important to balance the dynamic of power in the family,” she added.

Chan's "The Big Flip: Stories from the Modern Home Front" documentary follows the stories of four American families where they share the trials and triumphs of breadwinner moms and stay-at-home dads.