The Relatability of Gabrielle Union's Reason for Initially Going 50/50

Gabrielle Union and husband Dwyane Wade

Gabrielle Union recently revisited her 50/50 comment and explained her reasons for previously agreeing with the financial arrangement with her husband Dwyane Wade.

During a 2023 interview, Gabrielle Union sent social media into a frenzy. In her most recent sit down on the Balanced Black Girl podcast, she revisited the initial viral conversation, admitting that the set-up was a trauma response.

"I famously said, 50/50 or bust, right? And I meant that financially, spiritually, and emotionally," Union said. It's never wanting to be so out of control [that] I don't have control over what is happening to my body. And ’50/50’ is… I'm not going to be vulnerable enough to trust you with 100% of anything. Not my heart, not my cash, not my energy."

She continued: "I realized that so much of my anxiety—I was diagnosed with PTSD after being sexually assaulted at 19—the extreme anxiety, the anxiety attacks, being hyper-focused on efficiency and time, and being fiercely independent are trauma responses. And there's just a lot of days that I have 10%, and I need him to be 90. There are days I don't have shit, and I need him to be 100."

The revelation Gabrielle Union shared hit too close to home for many women who feared being "too" vulnerable. Many women have been taught that 50/50 equals more security. Statistically speaking, this is a fact. However, some women have experienced the darker side of what trusting the wrong partner means.

What is all too real is the statistics that prove just how easy it is for financial abuse to occur and a domino effect of possible other forms of abusive behaviors. Previous reports showed that 22% of women dealt with financial abuse in a previous relationship. Fourteen percent were currently financial abuse victims. About 33.9% of them had no money and often stayed out of fear or because of the children involved.

Financial abuse or economic control is considered a "growing weapon" in intimate partner violence. Of course, economic control looks different when considering the varying tax brackets. Still, what is at the center of this shared anxiety is simple: trust.

Gabrielle Union's openness held a mirror to many women who are also struggling with the trauma response. Women should be able to trust that the partner they choose to build a life with isn't going to use the amount of bills they pay as leverage. They should be able to trust that their partner won't use finances to make them feel inferior. Vulnerability is scary, but it shouldn't be in the company of someone who claims to love you.