Why We Split Our Money 50/50 Even When Society Says Men Should Pay | Financial Equality

When it comes to relationships, should it be my money, your money or our money? In this episode of the Yalla Habibi Podcast, we talk about money in relationships, financial equality, splitting expenses as a couple, and the conflicting expectations around who should pay. We share how we manage our finances as a couple, why we pay evenly for shared expenses, what we keep financially separate, when we choose to pay for each other, and why we don’t believe being in a relationship makes you entitled to your partner’s money. **In This Episode:** - The conflicting financial expectations placed on couples - Whether men should still be expected to pay more - What financial equality actually means in a relationship• - How we split bills and shared expenses as a couple - Why we keep personal expenses separate - How we decide what counts as a joint expense - Why paying evenly doesn’t have to mean keeping score - Building a financial system that feels fair to both partners We also look at financial infidelity in Scott’s WTF of the Week, including research showing how many Brits have lied to their partner about money and secretly spent thousands without telling them. And in Shelby’s Good Vibes Only, we explore research that followed 230 engaged or newlywed couples and found that couples who combined their finances maintained stronger relationship quality over two years.**Chapters:**00:00 – Introduction02:12 – Would Our Relationship Have Survived If Shelby Paid on the First Date? 03:38 – The Pressure For Men Have to Pay in Relationships06:22 – Society’s Financial Expectations in Relationships 13:28 – How We Manage Money as a Couple24:43 – What We’ve Learned About Couples’ Finances 25:40 – Scott’s WTF of the Week: The Secret Spending Problem31:05 – Shelby’s Good Vibes Only: Joint Finances, Stronger Relationships **Recommended Episodes** **📺 S3: The Social Rules We Stopped Following as a Couple** **🎧** ⁠⁠⁠⁠EP1⁠⁠⁠⁠ **🎧**⁠⁠⁠⁠ EP2⁠⁠⁠⁠ **🎧** ⁠⁠⁠⁠EP3⁠⁠⁠⁠ **📺 Series 2: Finding The One When You're Not Everyone's Type** **🎧** ⁠⁠⁠EP1⁠⁠⁠ **🎧**⁠⁠⁠ EP2⁠⁠⁠ **🎧** ⁠⁠⁠EP3⁠⁠⁠ **🎧** ⁠⁠⁠EP4⁠⁠⁠ **📺 Series 1: Travelling as a Couple: Dream vs Reality** **🎧**⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠EP1⁠⁠⁠ **🎧**⁠ ⁠⁠⁠EP2⁠⁠⁠⁠ **🎧** ⁠⁠⁠⁠EP3⁠⁠⁠⁠ **🎧** ⁠⁠⁠⁠EP4⁠⁠⁠ **Stories Shared:**🤫 ⁠Scott's WTF of the Week – The Secret Spending Problem🔗https://www.confused.com/press/releases/2026/almost-half-of-brits-admit-lying-to-their-partner-about-money💰 Shelby’s Good Vibes Only – Joint Finances, Stronger Relationships🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://academic.oup.com/jcr/article/50/4/704/7077142?guestAccessKey=32d8dc66-db46-45ab-a360-57a401a01af9 **Discount Codes:**AiraloAn eSIM service that lets you get mobile data while travelling without needing a physical SIM card.🏷️ Airalo: SCOTR7127🏷️ Airalo: SHELBY5873 🔗https://www.airalo.com/Starling BankA digital UK bank offering easy money management and fee-free card spending abroad.🏷️ Starling: LBL0M2D🔗https://www.starlingbank.com/**About Yalla Habibi Podcast:**Yalla Habibi — Let’s go, my friend! We talk about relationships, life, travel, social expectations, personal experiences, and the things couples often think about but don’t always talk about. If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe, like, share, and leave a review. It really helps us reach more people and bring interesting guests onto the show.**Follow Yalla Habibi:**TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yallahabibipodcast?lang=enInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/yallahabibipodcast/