In Australia, we have a compulsory retirement savings scheme called superannuation. Most countries think this is insane, but it does work for this country, and to be honest, we wouldn't have any retirement savings at all if we were forced to figure it out on our own.

But if you're a woman, your financial situation will likely be less rosy than if you were a man, especially if you're single. My daughter in law works for a not for profit woman's superannuation company, which found that woman:

• retire with almost half as much super as men, though we live 5 years longer on average
• nearly half of us rely on our partners income as the main source for retirement
• Nearly ten percent of women between 65 and 74 still have a mortgage
• Our average salary is $44k (ncluding part time work) whilst men's is considerably more
• If you're a graduate, you'll earn $5k less than male graduates in the same role
• Woman spend 5 hours more a day caring for kids than men do
• We're more likely to work part time because we're the ones caring for kids and other family members, and we're less likely to find good jobs past 50 because of ageism, though that's illegal of course.

So yeah, financial security and being a woman don't go hand in hand.

If you're in a marriage or a partnership, you're going to be considerably better off than being a single woman, especially as you get older. If you do have a spouse, and you're not sharing financial information, why are you even together? If we rely on our partner for financial support and security as we get older (statistically) why would we agree to be in the dark about it? We live in a society that doesn't support woman as well as it should, so if your man can't support you, that's a bit off to me.

^{Mr and Mrs Riverflows Mc Duck counting their money together via a co-creation between me and Midjourney}

Being in a partnership is about looking after each other and looking out for each other. We should be able to trust each other with our bank details as much as our lives. My husband has a right to know what I'm spending our combined income on as much as I want to know what he spends his money on, because it affects both of us.

Now, it's going to irk me to tears if he's going through every item on the bank statement and quizzing me about it as this isn't trust, it's about control. But I'm fine if he says, hey, don't buy clothes this week as we're a bit broke, or I say 'please don't spend money on car parts as we need to get on top of things'.

I have a 'secret' slush where I take money out of his paycheck (if I'm not earning that month) for my own things - in fact, I squirrel away money to save all the time for various things. But it's not really a secret - I'll tell him if he asks. But if he thinks we have more money than we do, we're in trouble - he'll want to spend it! As for my Hive finances, he can look whenever he likes, but he never asks and I never tell - again, he'll just think we are more cashed up than we actually are. With both my slush and HIVE, I feel a bit of independence, but it's only psychological - I don't need it.

I guess I'm pretty lucky with this marriage - he could be a gambler or refuse to let me play with the purse strings because he's the one who earns more and thus thinks he should control me in some way. I don't think I would hang around if that was the case.

All I know is that if he left, or died, I'd be in trouble - in my early 50s, I have less potential to earn and not enough super behind me for retirement. I'd likely sell the house and live in a van, and I'm not the only woman in Australia contemplating this choice.

Ladies of Hive asked us this week to share our thoughts on women and their finances in a relationship or marriage, is it — or is it not — right to share the details of your finances with your spouse?