Grammy Award winner Cardi B is outside promoting her new single, “Enough (Miami),” and sharing insights on relationships. The Bronx bombshell asserts that if you’re married or cohabiting, bills and other expenses should be divided equally down the middle.
This is similar to a philosophy that Gabrielle Union and her husband Dwyane Wade live by and recently shared with the world.
During a quick Instagram Live with Gillie the King and Wallo 267, the “Bodak Yellow” rapper expressed her belief that many young women are being influenced by social media to have an unrealistic view of what provisions look like in modern-day relationships.
Wallo looked into the camera and said, “I got a message to you from Cardi.”
“So this is what I believe in, right. If you’re going to be the type of b—ch that wants a n—ga to take care of you and everything,” she said, “You have to pick a balance. You cannot just be a b—ch that be like ‘Oh, my man take care of me.’ Like what do you do? What are you contributing? You can’t be complaining like ‘Oh, I cook. I clean every day. But you don’t work. You don’t contribute to the house.”
While acknowledging that her stance may be controversial, Cardi believes it empowers women to contribute to the household rather than relying solely on their partners for financial support. In such cases, she criticized the traditional gender roles where the man pays for everything while the woman retains her own earnings.
One specific scenario the 31-year-old highlighted is when both partners are earning similar incomes. Not only is it unfair in her mind, it is also unrealistic.
“If you and your man make the same amount of money right but only your man is the one that paying all the bills, how you are going to save up to buy a house or buy a business?” Cardi rhetorically asked.
“He’s never going to be able to afford to,” she added.
“It’s like a working together… The Internet really be having people f—ked up from like real reality type s—t,” she continued before reminding people of how their parents used to run their homes.
“Your mom and dad used to work every single day, right? So your mom and dad used to work every single day,” she explained before stating, “They’re both working too to pay both the bills. Like y’all be acting like you don’t know what the f—k that is like no more. Like, come on.”
Gillie jumped in and said it is like “Your mom’s money was your dad’s money and your dad’s money was your mom’s.”
The married mother of two agreed, and said, “That’s why I’m saying like I’m not a feminist anymore because it’s like sometimes it’s like y’all just be living in the real world.”
Comments on social media appear to be mixed with some individuals who strongly disagreed.
“Yallll this is only for American women,” one person wrote. “Any other country/culture wouldn’t dare have they daughter going 50/50 or taking care of a man! A cheating man at that, girl bye. Me and my man just turned 24 and working towards ourselves individually while also helping each other in w.e way we can. HOWEVER we both know that his main goal is to be fully the head of the household and I’m his biggest supporter, helper, caretaker when sick, pornstar, cook ALLLL that. My man is Guyanese he was brought up to be like that.”
Another person agreed saying, “I’m happily married way longer than her without any cheating scandals or abuse. Haven’t split nothing but time! My husband is not my roommate #19years.”
In the past, Cardi has blasted her husband Offset for cheating numerous times during their marriage and even filed for divorce a few times but called it off. Still, many agreed splitting the bills is what partners in a marriage do.
One person wrote, “I’m wit Cardi 100%! It’s nothing wrong with partnering up with your man to make life sweeter for the both of y’all!”
“Prolly shocked alot of females to see she lives in REALITY while they tryna live out her songs,” another said.
“Baby the way inflation still going up during this recession…. Be happy you have someone to go 50/50 with cause that 100 ain’t sweet alone,” another comment read.
While the majority of the comments seemed to say a man should pay for everything, Gabrielle Union has been standing by this practice for years and getting the same kind of pushback.
“I think the takeaway is that some people think of me as stupid for not forcing a very wealthy man to pay for my life,” Union said in an interview for WhoWhatWear.com. “If that works in your house, I love that for you. But that’s not how it works over here. That’s not what brings me joy.
“Paying for half of this house– which is our dream home– paying for half of our vacations, paying for half of our miracle child, I take great pride in that,” she added, a point that Cardi also referenced.
Cardi said, “Certain things are a joint thing to do.”
“We both spent money on each other,” She says. “Like if we’re gonna buy a house. like let’s go half and half… Like if we’re gonna buy like a crazy expensive furniture… it’s like you buy the couch, I buy the dining room set. It’s a both thing.”
According to Cardi’s logic, splitting makes sense for the type of life she wants to live. The other logic is that what will a woman have for herself if the man chooses to leave if she doesn’t pay for anything?
Cardi is not like many of the women who are clapping at her online. The entertainer has an estimated net worth of $80 million and has been married to rapper Offset, who has an estimated net worth of $28 million, for six and a half years.
