Dolly, Gloria, & Financial Sisterhood

Written By Ariel Nathanson

This past month, two absolute icons, Dolly Parton and Gloria Steinem, passed away within days of each other.

Both women modeled what it meant to embody yourself fully and be the change you want to see. I want to take a moment to honor them and reflect on how their legacies show up in my life and this work with a big capital F in Finances for Feminists. 

Gloria Steinem famously said, “The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.”

Boy, is that ever true these days. Seeing and understanding the structural inequities at play can be exhausting and infuriating. But Gloria was an icon for continuing to pursue the work anyway. For learning, questioning, speaking up, and bringing other people along with you.

I recently met with a client, let’s call her J. who was shocked when we figured out that her workplace retirement pension benefit amounted to only about 5% of her salary, despite being unionized and working with the organization for more than a decade. With this new information, she decided to increase her 403(b) contributions to get her retirement savings more in line with her goals.

What got me most excited was she started talking to her coworkers and peers. She shared what she had learned and offered to be a sounding board as they started asking questions about their own benefits. What started with her feeling clueless and afraid led to her becoming a source of knowledge and support for others so they wouldn't be caught off guard and could get proactive. How beautiful is that?? I’m getting verklempt just thinking about it!

Another client, Bonnie, once described this concept as “financial sisterhood,” which I absolutely love. We learn something, we share it, and we make it a little easier for the next person to ask questions and advocate for themselves. (See her testimonial below for the full quote.)

"[Finance Fundamentals] really took the stigma out of talking money, and made me feel like I was entering some financial sisterhood" Bonnie

Which brings me to Dolly

Another feminist icon. One of my favorite examples: Elvis Presley wanted to record I Will Always Love You, but his manager wanted at least half of Dolly’s publishing rights in return. For a young songwriter, having Elvis record your song was a HUGE opportunity. But Dolly said no. She knew what she owned was valuable and wasn't willing to give half of it away, even for Elvis. Nearly two decades later, Whitney Houston turned the song into a massive global hit, and Dolly still owned her publishing rights.

I mean... Finances for Feminists!!!

Dolly built an extraordinary career not just by being talented, but by understanding the business behind her talent. She maintained ownership, built businesses, created wealth, and made decisions about where that wealth went.

There’s a thread connecting these two women for me. Gloria taught women to question the systems around them. Dolly showed us the power of knowing your worth and maintaining ownership of what you create.

So cheers to you, Dolly and Gloria. You continue to inspire. May we all have the opportunity to lift up others and light the way, just as you did.

Sources & Further Reading

Ariel Nathanson
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