Women and people with uteruses know all too well the physical and mental cost of pregnancy, as well as the financial.
But one woman has a solution to it – she’s asked her husband to compensate the pregnancy, to the tune of $50,000 (£37,900).
Revealed on Reddit by the husband, the story follows two high-earning individuals who both amass more than $175,000 (£132,811) a year, after tax.
Taken out of the workforce for more than a year, the woman discussed how she would be financially impacted, asking her partner if he could pay her as she has their baby.
And just in case you’re wondering, she isn’t currently pregnant (that he knows of). The couple, who say they are ‘spiritually married’ are not legally so (but say they are essentially married in common law).
They also own their own home and their finances are split 50-50 across bills, savings, investments, home improvements and discretionary spending.
The woman’s work place offers maternity leave for a year, paying 50% of the salary for six months while the rest is unpaid. The latter half, she said, should be paid for by her partner, as well as any additional time off needed.
The man wrote on the thread: “She is asking me to compensate her for that $50,000, in addition to agreeing to split any related but unexpected costs to pregnancy and childbirth. Her stance is that she is doing something for us to start a family but it is not a true 50-50 split if she is expected to take a financial hit for it and I am not, given that our finances are separate.
“She had a printed list of expectations in terms of what she expected financially [and] listed some things that her insurance may not cover.”
The man said he saw the logic in her requests but felt “turned off” by it.
While the husband was mulling over the requests, many others online had a lot to say. Most people said it was totally fair, given the enduring impact of pregnancy on women, which can affect career progression, pension earnings and more.
Many took to Twitter, where the Reddit post was shared, to support the woman’s ask.
