The days when someone opens the door for the lady or pulls out the chair for her at the dinner table are getting rarer.
Perhaps the new age woman does not want such privileges or courtesies either.
But some banks do treat them differently and offer attractive discounts and products.
So what does the fairer sex get that is denied to the men?
If you are a girl looking for a student loan, Bank of Baroda certainly offers you the best deal. There is a one per cent reduction in interest rate for girls and a further one per cent reduction if the student/guardian starts repaying the loan during the study period.
Typically education loans offer a moratorium during the period of study.
So for a girl an education loan up to Rs 400,000 from BoB comes at 9.25 per cent lower than the rate of 10.25 per cent for boys. Further the rate comes down to 8.25 per cent if she starts repayment during her course of study.
Andhra Bank offers a special something for women taking two-wheeler loans. There's discount of up to 1 per cent in terms of interest and a waiver of processing fees. So got out and get those wheels lady!
Interestingly a woman buying a house in Delhi pays a lower stamp duty of 6 per cent as against 8 per cent paid by a man.
Corporation Bank lets the women folk indulge. The Mangalore-based bank offers a product solely for purchase of the yellow metal. Called 'corp mahila gold' the bank extends loans up to Rs 250,000 at a competitive interest rate of 10 per cent on a fully secured basis. The rate moves up to 12.25 per cent if there is no security.
While the biggest private bank in the country, ICICI Bank has no special offerings for women, Citibank has a woman's account which comes with a personal financial advisor. The woman account holder will get preferential rates on Citibank loans and they can opt for a critical illness insurance cover of Rs 50,000.
Other privileges also follow for Citibank woman's account holders like invites to events like a cookery show with Tarla Dalal, a dandiya evening with Shibani Kashyap or a Satya Paul Fashion preview. Further brands like Tiffany, Mont Blanc and Cross come at a discount.
HDFC Bank offers a mini add-on card for women at Rs 99 for the first year. The plastic comes with a household insurance worth Rs 100,000 for protection against fire and burglary. Discounts of up to 40 per cent are available at Kaya skin clinics, Panasonic, McDonalds.
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