‘I've always known I wanted to be financially dependent on my husband': Aussie mum reveals why she chose to stay at home

News.com.au

04-06-2025

Lexie says she's always wanted to be 'financially dependent' on her husband - a stance that has ignited fierce debate.
Lexie, 26, is a mother of two who ran her own hairdressing business for seven years before having two children and deciding not to return to work full-time.
'I've always known I wanted to be financially dependent on my husband and I've never had an issue with it,' she said.
Lexie explained her goal has always been to become a stay-at-home mum and wife.
'When I met my husband, we were just friends; I told him all my plans. I wanted to get married really young and have kids, and I didn't want to go back to work after having kids,' she said.
The young mum said she fell in love with her husband so quickly because he wanted a 'similar dynamic,' therefore, money has always been an open conversation.
But when Lexie publically shared her feelings on being 'financially dependent,' many found her honesty about money and work refreshing.
'Love this,' one praised.
'So good you guys were upfront so early on,' another noted.
'I think this is really great and should be normalised,' one noted.
'It has been like this generations on both sides of my family. So it is all I've ever known and I don't want anything else,' someone else shared.
However, among the positive comments were people who expressed concern that Lexie was financially overreliant on her husband financially and that she'd end up with no superannuation.
'I cannot,' one remarked.
Another argued, 'men especially love to change their minds,' implying Lexie might not be making the best financial decision.
'I don't disagree with this lifestyle but it's really becoming a privilege to be able to do this now due to the cost of living,' another said.
'If you're going to do this, you need to have a pre-nup signed that will guarantee you're looked after if the marriage ends, he decides to leave, cheat, etc.
'If you don't have that, no amount of financial awareness can save you if it ends and you have no money of your own. Please look out for yourselves, ladies,' one warned.
Speaking to news.com.au, Lexie said she is frustrated that people assume she's somehow not financially savvy soley because she's not the one making money.
'Some people think there's an 'issue' with what I've chosen to do or that it must not be a choice or it isn't the right choice or it isn't a smart one,' she said.
'Just because I'm financially dependent on my husband doesn't mean I'm not financially unaware.'
'My husband and I have complete transparency. Just because I'm not earning the income doesn't mean I don't get to have a 50/50 say in how we spend it.'
She also said no one should worry about her superannuation balance.
'We're still figuring it out; instead of making additional superannuation contributions, we're putting it onto our home loan because the interest rates are so high,' she said.
She explained the point of the video was to point out that just because she's not the breadwinner, that doesn't mean she doesn't have equal financial power.
The 26-year-old stressed the importance of being 'financially aware' and said that she has full access to all their money.
Despite the concern from Aussies, the couple's choice to live on one income certainly isn't unusual.
Millions of Australians are financially dependent on their partner, according to new research by financial comparison website Finder.
Almost one in four women describe themselves as financially dependent, and Finder's research found that 22 per cent of millennials currently rely on their companions for money.
When she fell pregnant, the couple soon after started living off her husband's income to ensure they could afford to keep it up.
'We had been practising living on one income a few months before my son was born in preparation,' she said.
'We reduced our living expenses and made some sacrifices so I had choices when it came to returning to work.'
She did go back to work after her first, but after her second, the daycare costs put the couple off, and they decided to keep living off her husband's wage, which is over $100,000.
Living on one income hasn't been too much of a struggle for the 26-year-old, she insists.
'I've always lived a minimalist style, we've always lived in our means. We have never had Afterpay or car loans.
'Our mortgage was the smallest we could get to get a house,' she said.
The couple's mortgage is a manageable $500,000, and they intentionally bought below what they could afford to borrow.
Still, the couple changed some habits to accommodate their income.
'We made changes, we changed our insurance, our phone plans, and we don't have many streaming services,' she said.
'We don't buy takeaway, we don't have gym memberships and we cut out those extra items. We focused solely on living with one income without stress, but there's always stress.'
The 26-year-old ultimately argued that staying at home has allowed her husband to focus on his career and potentially earn more money.
'Being stay-at-home parent and taking on those responsibilities does mean my husband can thrive in his career,' she said.
Sadly, she feels there's a stigma around stay-at-home mums because women get 'pitted against each other' where either choice is valid.