'I told my wife I am entitled to half of her wages and everyone agrees with me'

The man said that half of his wife's wages should go to him

A man has argued that he is entitled to half of his wife's wages after she decided to go back to work. He explained that she had been a stay-at-home mum for some time and the family had lived off his salary.

He said it was "not a set-up I enforced in any respect" and he had always told his partner he would be supportive of her if she wanted to work. His earnings go into a joint bank account for them both to use as they wish and he said he was comfortably earning enough to support the family while she cared for the children.

Now the mum has expressed interest in going back to work once their youngest child starts school. This would mean all domestic jobs are split equally again, The Mirror reports.

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The woman said she was looking forward to having her own money for things like beauty treatments, and clothes, and she'd even spoken about building her own at-home library. But the husband had different ideas.

Explaining the situation on Reddit, he said: "I chimed in: 'Wow you've got some big plans! I wonder what I'm going to do with my half?' Her face. First, it went white with surprise and shock and then the brows furrowed and her face went red.

"'What do you mean YOUR half?' That's where I argued that everything I ever made during our marriage was equally shared, and why should her money be any different?

"She said my pay was the family's money and hers was extra money that she was earning for herself. I then told her that sure, she can work and make extra money she can use in any way she sees fit, but then I no longer felt it fair if I took equal work of household upkeep.

"She went livid, called me an a**hole and a patriarchal misogynist!?" But other Reddit users were quick to defend him.

One person said: "She literally took the old joke 'what's mine is mine, and what's yours is ours'." Another added: "You've had a 'single pot of money' for your whole married life, that doesn't change because now two people are contributing to it."

A third person tried to see the situation from both sides. They wrote: "You know, I kind of understand where she's coming from, though I don't agree with it. Even though you never viewed it as YOUR money, and it was always used as the family's money, she probably has always felt like it low-key really is your money."

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