35-year-old wife tells husband she won't be a stay-at-home mom unless he gives her half of his company: 'Staying at home would decrease my chances of finding a well-paying job in case our marriage failed.'

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Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Jan 4, 2026 8:00 AM EST

There's nothing wrong with wanting to protect yourself.

Whether to get a prenup or a postnup is a difficult question for a lot of couples. In some cases, the choice is obvious. A couple where one partner makes $65K and the other makes $75K doesn't need a prenuptial agreement, and it'd be unreasonable to suggest otherwise. Prenuptial agreements are most necessary when you have substantial assets acquired before the marriage. If you have a $6M real estate portfolio that you've had since before you met your husband, it might not be a bad idea to get a prenup. 

A lot of people have a problem with prenups in principle because they think it's planning for the worst. Nobody wants to think about their divorce when they're getting married, and sometimes, bringing up a prenup or a postnup will change the dynamic of the relationship forever. But in many cases, having an uncomfortable conversation before you get married is worth it because there's a good chance it will never come up again because you don't end up getting divorced! If you do get divorced, at least you'll have peace of mind knowing you won't be financially ruined. That's definitely cold comfort for losing the love of your life, but marriage is an economic proposition. Marriage is not all about loving someone so much that you don't need to consider making responsible decisions because love will save you. 

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  • A woman holding a child in her arms
    via Levi Meir Clancy (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • The wife in this story is not about to give up her career to be a stay-at-home mom without her husband paying a price. She thinks she should get half the business, so she would be okay if they divorced and she lost time in the workforce, but her friends disagree with her proposal. 

  • Am I the bad guy for telling my husband if he wants me to be a housewife, then he needs to give me half his of company?

    We are married, the husband and I are 35 years old and have two children together with a third coming. He told me that he wanted me to be a housewife and stop working. I felt very
    via DogMaleficentt
  • disturbed with this proposal; but he explained that it would suit our family and children considering that he could afford comfortable standard of living. Several weeks later, after contemplation, I told him that I would be glad to comply,
    via DogMaleficentt
  • however, on the condition that I will get half of the company. This request surprised him and I responded that staying at home would decrease my chances of finding a well-paying job in case our marriage failed, which will decrease my future income earning capacity, besides he
    via DogMaleficentt
  • A woman sitting at a desk working on a computer
    via Karolina Grabowska (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • would still be earning higher yearly incomes. I would therefore like to have a fair portion of the business. This would not matter in case our marriage does not break, which is the ultimate goal of any marriage, but even in case it breaks, it would be a form of
    via DogMaleficentt
  • compensation to my decision to stay home and keep children, which would relieve him of anxiety and stress he has mentioned that he would be less concerned with daycare or nannies as long as the children are in my care. My friends
    via DogMaleficentt
  • Kids and teacher reading a book together in the preschool
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • considered me to be stupid when I brought this out. The latter upset my closest friend, who called me disgusting. In this way, I was a little surprised.
    via DogMaleficentt
  • Personal Pin_2269 Or an extensive post nup agreement of sorts. Protecting yourself is smart. NTA
    via u/Personal_Pin_2269
  • Truebeliever-14 Too many women become SAHM and get dumped with no way to support themselves. Smart thinking!
    via u/Truebeliever-14
  • Sea_Drive_2843 As a former SAHM who is now divorced, I don't think you are asking for enough. Contributions. to your retirement accounts and a postnup laying out your alimony and support before you quit in addition to half the company.
    via u/Sea_Drive_2843
  • Reading RainbowRider NTA. I'm an attorney and when I used to do family law clients hearing this, they always say but it feels like they're planning for the marriage fail before it starts. To which I would ask them why do you have car insurance then? No one gets into a car expecting an accident just like no one goes into the marriage expecting it to fail. The reality is that it does happen and it's stupid to not plan for it. No one feels guilty for having car insurance, you shouldn't feel guilty
    via u/ReadingRainbowRider
  • whoknows whywhat NTA. You are smart. Don't back down.
    via u/whoknowswhywhat
  • Parking_Fig9784 Half of the company is exactly the right amount. Protect yourself. My husband is becoming a stay at home dad in 2 weeks. If I owned a company, I would gladly sign over half to him to ensure he is protected and demonstrate how much I understand and appreciate the sacrifice that he is making for our family. I don't have a company so we are doing a postnup to make sure he is protected.
    via u/Parking_Fig9784
  • Intelligent_Read_697 NTA and dont back down. And you really need better friends who are actually looking out for your best interest.
    via u/Intelligent_Read_697
  • NTA No_Worldliness_6976 It sounds very fair, you are giving up your financial independence to stay at home and care for your children... that is the very least he can do.
    via u/No_Worldliness_6976
  • pwlife What you asked for is pretty standard. Staying home would be your new career and you need to be protected, not just incase of divorce but also if you become a widow. This demand doesn't even effect your day to day life it just gives you protection. I would also highly suggest he sets you up with a 401k that is company funded and also make sure he funds your IRAs to the fullest yearly. Once you stop working you won't be able to contribute to both. Edit: I've been a sahm for over a decade,
    via u/pwlife

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childcare stay at home mom salary marriage prenup wife husband company money
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