For women, financial savvy can be a generational issue

As America's cultural and demographic landscape changes, the old stereotype of women letting others take care of their financial situations is also fading away.

A new study suggests that women, especially older women, feel more financially ready and willing to take the lead when it comes to making important economic decisions in their lives.

Ameriprise Financial (AMP) recently polled more than 2,000 women and 1,500 men, ages 25 to 70, with investable assets of at least $25,000 (The men were used as a "control group" to compare against the women in the survey.)

According to the study, baby boomer women, or those ages 55 to 70, were more likely than their younger cohorts to say they it is their responsibility to understand their financial situations and develop a workable financial plan.

"Women are more financially empowered now than ever before," Suzanna de Baca, Ameriprise Financial's vice president of wealth strategies, said in a news statement.

"It's promising that women ages 55-70 are the most likely to feel in control of their finances, have a financial plan and value financial security," she continued. "And based on what we are seeing, other generations of women are following suit."

But Gen X women, or those ages 35 to 54, are apparently having trouble following suit, as they face very different set of cultural and economic challenges compared to their Boomer counterparts.

More than two in five Gen X women (42 percent) have reportedly gone through divorce and/or unemployment, have seen their assets decrease significantly during the recession years and are supporting a child's college education. That compares with 29 percent of boomer women and 24 percent of younger women.

And more than half of the Gen X women in the survey said "being able to save money while paying bills" was an important measure of financial success in their current lives. According to the study, that suggests they "feel more strained by debt than women of other ages."

Gen X women were also the least likely of those surveyed to try to take control of their financial situations. Close to two-thirds said they weren't saving enough for their futures, with 30 percent saying they didn't feel financially in control.

"Our research has shown that there are countless circumstances that can influence a woman's perspective about money and her feelings about the financial future," said de Baca. "It also demonstrated that women are resilient and eager to roll up their sleeves and tackle obstacles. Framing financial challenges as 'lessons learned' and planning for expected and unexpected life milestones can build strength and confidence."