8th
Sex & Money = Prostitution?
I recently got a comment on my post about whether or not women should ask their partners to contribute to the cost of prescription birth control (and how many do or don’t). I really found what the commenter had to say as interesting as I’d never really heard the conversation about birth control discussed within this context:
“I really believe that most women feel uncomfortable talking to their partners about paying for the cost of birth control because 1) girls are taught that conversations about money and sex equals prostitution and 2) girls are never taught how to demand for equal pay or money in general. Too often we have been conditioned to persuade, not ask (or demand) and to barter (share) our things. If there’s ever a good person to practice on for asking, sharing concerns and talking about equality, it’s your partner who already likes you and respects you.”
The part that struck me most was the idea that many women subconsciously equate conversations about sex and money with prostitution. The idea of a “golddigger” or “kept woman” is a clear example of this. As are many of the criticisms of the women on the shows like “The Real Housewives.”
I admit that while I secretly like the idea of having a husband who could take care of me while I stay at home, in reality, I sometimes even take a bit of offense when my boyfriend offers to pay for things or implies that I got something that I wouldn’t have if he hadn’t bought it for me. Recently I splurged on a pair of $400 heels that I’d been wanting for months. He had offered to buy them for me, but for some reason I was insistent on buying them for myself. There was a sense of pride about it.
Afterwards I was wondering why it was that I was so insistent on buying them for myself. His gift was not going to be an exchange for anything. It was a gift he wanted to buy out of love for me. In fact, he offered to get it for our anniversary, but I still bristled a bit at the thought. Almost as if they would not have been worth as much if he paid for them than if I had.
