The internet has praised a woman who split up with her boyfriend after learning that he did not believe men and women could ever be equals.
The 34-year-old woman—who uses the handle u/woknrollhs—told Reddit’s popular r/TrueOffMyChest forum that she broke up with her boyfriend of two and a half years because he does not believe in marriage and does not believe they could ever be equals.
With more than 13,000 upvotes and thousands of comments, the story has prompted Reddit users to share their thoughts on relationships and equality.
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U/woknrollhs explained: “We were arguing, which we rarely do, and I brought up the fact that after 2.5 years he has never spoken about an engagement or marriage with me. He worships me and constantly praises me and tells me I’m the best, so I thought it would be no doubt we would eventually take that step forward.
“It was shocking news when he told me that he never wants to get married. He said marriage only benefits women because they get to take the house and car in the divorce.”
She continued to explain that her 27-year-old boyfriend also said that he was not ready for the couple to move in together, she explains he said this was because “he is not financially stable enough to fully provide for me.”
The Redditor continued: “I told him we make the same amount of money and we could afford it with the two incomes. He insisted he has to be mainly responsible for the bills because he has to be head of the household and we cannot be equals.” because men and women will never be equal.”
“I told him that the no marriage thing was a deal-breaker,” said the poster. “And I also can’t imagine my life where my partner does not see me as an equal to them.”
The 2021 American Family Survey by Desert News and the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy at Brigham Young University revealed that more US adults generally agreed that being married is less important than having a “personal sense of commitment to your partner.”
However, of 3,000 Americans surveyed nationwide, 58 percent said that they felt marriage leaves families and children better off financially. Similarly, 52 percent agreed that marriage was needed to create a strong bond in families.
When it comes to equality in relationships, a 2020 Pew Research Center report revealed that while men are still generally seen as having more of an influence than women when it comes to decisions about household finances, the majority of people worldwide said that a marriage where both the husband and wife have jobs and take care of the home is more satisfying than a marriage where the husband provides for the family and the wife takes care of the house and children.
Reddit users headed to the comments to share their thoughts. One Redditor said: “This is why you discuss dealbreakers and life goals when dating. What a shame to realize you’re not on the same page after 2.5 years. Sounds like breaking up was for the best.”
Another commenter also agreed that the poster had made the best choice and wrote: “It’s for the best, honestly.”
Others were shocked by the man’s feelings about equality, branding him misogynistic in the comments. “If there weren’t any signs of misogyny from him in the past, then it’s good that it came out now. Better now than after marriage. She did dodge a bullet,” said one user.
“Move on,” advised another Redditor. “And use this learning as you choose your next partner. Life is way too short to spend so much time on such A-holes.”
Another commenter agreed: “Glad you found this out now. Make room in your life for a man who sees you as an equal partner.”
Newsweek has reached out to u/woknrollhs for comment.