News.com.au has hit the not so mean streets of Bondi to ask a wild money question – and people can’t agree.
Do you know your partner’s salary? Money questions are famously taboo, but if you share a bed, are all bets off?
The answer is not that straightforward. A Reddit thread once went viral when a woman, 26, confessed her partner wouldn’t tell her his salary.
“Just wondering if it is normal for your partner not to tell you what they earn?” she asked.
The anonymous poster said that her partner, 31, argued that she didn’t need to know because it wasn’t “relevant” to her whether he was paying his fair share.
“I was concerned with the fact that it seemed like, for some reason, he didn’t trust me with that information,” she said.
Is it normal? news.com.au took to Sydney’s affluent suburb Bondi to ask around.
Is it normal to know how much your partner earns? Picture: News.com.au
The answer has divided. Picture: News.com.au
A man in a straw hat who was hanging with his girlfriend said he “sure does” know what his girlfriend earns. Meanwhile, she replied, “I think so.”
Two girls who were enjoying a day in the sun admitted they didn’t know what their partners had brought home.
“No, I don’t,” one said.
“I don’t either,” the other admitted.
A man in a backwards hat and sunglasses said he knows what his partner earns and found out when things got more serious.
“It comes around when you start to live together. Share the bills, mortgages, stuff like that. So I guess like 12 months in,” he said.
In fact, he went as far as to say that if you don’t know what your partner earns and lives together, he’d see it as a “trust issue” more than anything else.
Similarly a woman in active wear said she knows what her partner earns and found out about six months into the romance.
“We live together and have joint accounts,” she explained.
She said she’d find it “strange” if someone didn’t know what their partner earned if they were living together but also pointed out that everyone’s different.
He knows how much his partner makes. Picture: News.com.au
And so does she! Picture: News.com.au
A couple that had been enjoying the beach agreed that it would be “weird” to not know what your partner earned if you’re at the point where you’re living under the one roof.
One woman in a red bikini said that she doesn’t know what her partner earns.
“I don’t know. I just don’t talk about it too much. I’m sure if I asked them they’d reply,” she explained.
Meanwhile another beachgoer said she wouldn’t ask a partner what they earned because it “doesn’t matter” to hear.
“They could earn $10,000 or $100,000. As long as you are happy with that person it doesn’t matter to me,” she said.
Financial comparison website Finder found that 16 per cent of Aussies rely on their significant other for financial support.
Some 22 per cent of Aussie women describe themselves as financially dependent on their partner.
The research also found that 5 per cent of Aussies had gone through a break-up because they had a poor understanding of personal finances.
Money expert Sarah Megginson said that money can cause tension in relationships and lead to disagreements and communicating helps eliminate those issues.
“Chatting about finances can be taboo, especially if either of you is a little ashamed of your habits or savings, but it should be something you discuss early on in a relationship,” she said.
“Stressful times around money are going to happen. It is a part of life but when they do, it’s important to make sure the lines of communication are open and you’re on the same page.”
Ms Megginson stressed that communication is essential to making it work.
“Even if you don’t combine bank accounts, it’s important to be upfront about your financial priorities,” she said.