The truest observation Sarah Jessica Parker ever uttered as Carrie Bradshaw may have been her character’s response to learning that she could avoid eviction by purchasing her apartment. Forced to come to terms with years of excess spending and her resultant lack of savings, Carrie sighed helplessly: “I will literally be the old woman who lived in her shoes.”

In her new book, “Money, a Memoir: Women, Emotions, and Cash” (Henry Holt and Company, 288 pages, $23) Liz Perle explores the strange relationship that many women have with their finances. Part memoir, part social study, the book acknowledges what few women would like to admit: We are bad with money.

Ms. Perle marshals many startling statistics that show – some more convincingly than others – the dire state of women’s finances. Between one third and two-thirds of women now 35 to 55 years old will be impoverished by the time they are 70. Only a third of women are in positions that even offer retirement plans, and many of those will see their savings lowered further because they took time out of the workforce to raise families. Also, more than 58% of female baby boomers have less than $10,000 saved in their pensions. Ms. Perle pinpoints an epidemic that is only spreading – especially in New York City.

Of course some women are excellent at finance, professionally and personally, but a large number are inept or simply in denial. Ms. Perle decided to investigate women’s relationship with money after having her own major financial crisis. In her mid-40s, the author found herself on a plane, nearly penniless, and in the midst of a divorce. She had quit her job and followed her husband to Singapore, only to see her marriage disintegrate almost as soon as she arrived.

A few weeks later, she was on a plane with her son, returning to America: “I had (quite willingly) handed over my economic life to my husband. Now he and all our assets were retreating at 500 miles an hour.” With only $1,500 in her pocket, Ms. Perle decided she could no longer afford her hands-off approach to finance: “My reluctant examination of my convoluted relationship with money began in earnest that day.”

In the process of addressing her own dealings with money, Ms. Perle learned that the women she encountered increasingly overspent, ignored bills, and accumulated debt. Many felt justified in ignoring the dire situation of their finances because they believed some extraordinary event – a Cinderella-like marriage, a sudden career bump, or an act of God – would swoop in to rid them of their financial troubles.

Women handicap themselves financially, not just by taking time out of the workforce, but by refusing to make saving a priority. Many have a general fear of finance: They are concerned that they won’t get married, that they will lose jobs, or be forced into bankruptcy. But rather than use their fears to motivate healthy financial governance, many women do their best at avoidance. They spend according to the life they want, rely on credit, and hope something will work itself out later.

Ms. Perle was no different: “Long ago, and not entirely consciously, I made a quiet contract with cash. I would do what it took to get it – work hard, marry right – but I didn’t want to have to think about it. I simply wanted to know I would be financially secure.” Her book shows that although women’s roles in society have changed greatly over the last 30 years, their habits, insecurities, and inclinations have not.

Women have been taught for years that they can aspire to do anything they like, but the circumstances do not always comply. Women may have the skills for a successful career in various fields, but they often choose to get married, take time off, and stay at home. And unlike men, women are not raised to think that they will be the sole breadwinner financing a household one day.

Because the career terrain for women is so varied – the number of men who choose to be the main caretaker in a household has remained very low – it makes sense that women are unclear how to manage their finances in the long term. As one of the women Ms. Perle interviews says: “None of our role models have held up. No wonder young women are so torn about what they’re supposed to do about making money.”

There is a difference, however, between planning for uncertain times and burning bridges before they have been crossed. Ms. Perle has hit a nerve with her book. The numerous anecdotes and examples she deploys should serve as a warning to women who may be prone to similar pitfalls. As she explains: “I feel a hint of hopefulness when I listen to someone who has made all the mistakes I have, along with a few more that I have yet to sample.”

As Ms. Perle so acutely identifies women’s problems with money, you hope to see her outline the steps toward healthy financial behavior as well. But her book is more of a warning than a how-to guide. If you are trying to step off the precipice of financial decline, reading this book is a good place to start. Or, better yet, just admit it’s time to start paying off those credit-card bills.