Her Own Worth

Money in her own name.

Her Own Worth teaches women earning Rs 10,000 to Rs 30,000 a month how money works: budgeting, saving, insurance, borrowing and old age. Five sessions, at their workplace, in their language, on paid time.

Women in bright saris standing together outside a blue wallPhoto: Unsplash
20women in the first cohort, Alibag 2026
5sessions of 45 minutes, on paid time
Rs 0paid by participants. Nothing is ever sold to them
40%of India's wealth is held by the richest 1%
A hand holding a fan of 500 rupee notes
Why we exist

40%

Of India's wealth sits with one percent of Indians.

At the other end, women in low-paid work are the least likely of any group to hold savings, insurance or a pension in their own name.

The gap is not only money. It is information. Nobody has ever explained compounding to them, or what an emergency fund is for, or how to compare a moneylender's rate with a bank's. Her Own Worth closes that gap, one workplace at a time.

Wealth share from the World Inequality Lab, 2022-23.

How it works

Five sessions. One room. Her own budget.

Women working at market stalls
1

The employer hosts

A room, five short sessions on paid time, and a list of women who want to take part. Nothing else is asked.

Three women working together outdoors
2

We teach

Five sessions of about 45 minutes in Marathi or Hindi, built around each participant's own monthly budget. No jargon, no products.

A woman seated, thinking
3

She decides

Each woman leaves with a budget in her own hand, the questions to ask any bank or agent, and the confidence to act on her own account.

A group of women and children in a village
4

We check back

A short, voluntary survey before and three months after tells us what changed. Results are reported only in anonymised form.

Our standard

The explanation a wealthy client gets should not depend on income.

We teach to that standard. Every participant gets the same clarity, the same patience and the same respect, whatever she earns.

Why we started
Photo: Unsplash
In their words

What participants tell us

Participant quotes and photographs will appear here with their consent once the three-month follow-up is complete. The three below are placeholders and are marked as such.

Sample
I had been earning for nine years and never had an account that was only mine. Now I do.
Housekeeping staff, Alibag (placeholder)
Sample
The budget session was the first time anyone showed me where my salary actually goes each month.
Front desk, Alibag (placeholder)
Sample
I finally understood what the moneylender's interest really costs me in a year.
Kitchen staff, Alibag (placeholder)
Research

What we're learning, and what the evidence says.

Two literature reviews on women, saving and financial education in India are in preparation for December 2026, alongside field notes from the programme. None of it is advice. None of it describes an individual.

Read the research
An older woman seated at a doorway

Have women on your payroll?

Resorts, hotels, restaurants, factories, housing societies and households with domestic staff. Five sessions, one room, paid time. We bring everything else.

Host the programme
Photo: Unsplash