Gabrielle Union And Dwyane Wade ‘Split Everything 50/50’ And We Don’t Really See The Problem

In her household, actress and entrepreneur Gabrielle Union splits bills 50/50 with husband Dwyane Wade, and that revelation has some people crying foul.

This information was shared in an interview she did with Noah Callahan-Bever on his Bloomberg Originals series, Idea Generation. He asked the 50-year-old star when the moment came where she felt that work was consistently coming in and therefore she felt a sense of security. According to her, that moment hasn’t come after around 30 years in the industry.

“I struggle with that,” she told Callahan-Bever. “I think I just have more responsibilities for my money. So I get nervous like, ‘Oh my God that movie didn’t open [well]. What does that mean? Am I going to have enough to hold everybody up? And everyone’s like, ‘It’s coming. Calm down.’ I’m trying to find peace in the journey, not using my anxiety and scarcity mindset to be my engine, which is hard.”

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That mindset is bolstered by the reality that Union doesn’t just make money for herself. She is caring for “other households,” and in her own, she and Wade handle things like a partnership.

“In this household, we split everything 50/50,” she added. “But in the other households that each of us have to support, there’s always this gorilla on your back that’s like, ‘You better work! You’re going to sleep in? Somebody might not eat.’ It’s hard. It’s hard to let that go, so I’m working on it.”

Upon hearing that the couple choose to handle bills in that way, a number of people, many women, found it wild, making mention of claims that the retired NBA star has a net worth of over $150 million while the Internet says her net worth is nowhere near as high as his. There was also mention of the fact that he stepped out on her before they were married and conceived a child outside of their relationship as a result, but she stayed by his side. And, there was confusion over the fact that they would split things 50/50 if he came in the marriage with children for them to financially provide for. It left people wondering, what’s the benefit to her?

For some people, women sharing 50/50 responsibilities with their spouse is just never going to make sense. A big point of marriage for many is to feel a sense of security, knowing that a man will be able to provide. If you’re covering your own half of the bills, do you really receive that?

But I think it’s all based on the parties involved. Union is building her brand these days, showcasing that she can have success as an entrepreneur delving into affordable fashion, hair and baby care lanes. She doesn’t strike me as someone seeking to be taken care of, hence her sharing that information so openly. She’s not being forced to go with an arrangement she’s not comfortable with, and her concern is more so for providing for the other family members in her life counting on her financial support. And considering that Wade has his own family members to care for (early in their relationship his nephew lived with them), she may not have wanted to put everything, including her own brood’s needs, on him.

We, as women, live in a very interesting time where many of us celebrate the fact that we are independent, that we can provide well for ourselves due to the fact that we’re making a lot more money due to our efforts to increase our education and climb up our respective career ladders. So there are many of us who don’t want to be fully reliant upon a man, even if we’re in a relationship with him. We see the value in a partnership where funds are allocated in a certain way as opposed to pressure being on one person to handle it all. And then there are those of us who want to be fully cared for by our partners in the way that we would have expected years ago, sometimes pampered and not left to wonder how bills are going to get paid once we choose to move forward in a relationship with them. There is no wrong way to handle these things in a relationship. In the end, it’s up to both parties in that union — not what the collective says you and your man should be doing with your coins.

So while it might sound crazy for a man who has done as well as Wade to not cover all of the financial needs of his household, Union is not someone out here wondering how she’s going to keep the lights on. Granted, she’s not confident as she noted to just assume that she’s made it, to kick up her feet and assume the money will always roll in, but she’s good and most importantly, she’s happy with her husband and what they’ve decided to do together for their family. That being said, we don’t have to get it or like it, but their arrangement seems to be a harmonious one for them, and that’s what matters.