Myth: Marriage needs to be 50/50

Here is one myth that a marriage counselor will help you dispel: Marriage needs to be a 50/50 split. Everything done and contributed needs to be equal. This simply is false. What marriage needs is 100% from each partner. In some instances, that means that one spouse will do more than the other because of their strengths. For example, if one spouse has a background in finance and interest in doing the personal finances at home, then they are more likely to do 80% of the work there. That’s ok. It doesn’t need to be 50/50 In that same marriage the other spouse might have an interest in doing yard work and pick up 90% of it. That’s ok too. There is no need to keep score about who is doing how much and in what category.

Keep in mind that everyone brings strengths and weaknesses to a marriage – hopefully there are some that are complimentary to each other. The key here, I help couples in counseling in our Orem office, is to communicate with each other well. If you can communicate effectively about these differences and how both of you are contributing, you will more likely avoid resentment and arguments. You will build a relationship of trust and reliance on each other highlighting the strengths you both have and being aware and considerate of your weaknesses as well.

I counsel pre-marital couples to understand that ‘what you see is what you get – just a lot more of it’. This means that weaknesses your spouse has before marriage will persist after marriage. However, they will be amplified. The same goes for their strengths. They will also have those same strengths amplified after you get married. Celebrate each others strengths and be understanding about their weaknesses.

Here at the Center for Couples and Families, we offer marriage therapy. Discover what marriage myths you and your spouse believe, and do something about it.

Schedule an appointment with a marriage counselor in South Jordan, American Fork, Orem or Spanish Fork. 

Written by Triston Morgan, PhD