Member-only story
Women, men, money, divorce, and prenups
Should women depend on men for financial support?
My parents came from India. When I was a kid, Dad worked and paid the bills. Mom did what she could on the side, from the home, while taking care of the house and kids. They had a joint account, and mom could pretty much buy whatever she wanted, but she was careful with the money. She knew how hard Dad worked. At some point, the kids were deemed old enough that she started to work part time. She liked it and won several company awards. She and my Dad were happily married until he died.
My parents never had a prenup. They didn’t need one. They both knew what was expected of them, they loved each other, and they were committed. But that is not true for everyone.
Not everyone is reliable, or loving, or decent. Some people are abusive. Others are selfish. And society has changed.
Some historical context
Once upon a time, women couldn’t do much.
They couldn’t vote, they couldn’t buy land without their husband’s consent, they couldn’t get an education in most cases, they couldn’t work most jobs. When they were able to work they were paid substantially less than men in similar positions and they were unlikely to be promoted over men.
