Couples and Money: The Last Taboo

Abstract

Many Americans are unemployed—13.7 million to be exact. Couples are thrown into financial crisis when their jobs are threatened or lost. Speaking about money in marriage is the last taboo. Couples would prefer to talk about sex or infidelities rather than how they handle family finances or how much money they earn. The purpose of this article is to explore the role of money in relationships. This article is one of several relating to this topic. Historical aspects of attitudes about money in marriage are first explored. The next section, money and childhood, presents material that relates adult attitudes concerning money to childhood definitions that existed in the family and the social culture. Gender differences are crucial to explore in a relationship regarding the meaning of money, and they are presented within a consideration of the social context of marriage, along with the socially constructed roles in marriage. Next, different marital styles regarding money are explored. Current research regarding couples and money is presented throughout the article, indicating the general economic trends in marriage and the resultant effects on the couple's definitions of the meaning of money and the consequential couple behavior. Therapeutic suggestions as well as specific interventions are considered throughout.