About 78% of Romanian participants in the study admitted that disagreements related to money and the financial situation are one of the most frequent reasons for quarrels between couples. For 65% of respondents, the most urgent desire is to plan money for unforeseen expenses.

Other conclusions of the study:

• 1 out of 2 respondents say that a man should pay on the first date.

• Only 1 in 5 Romanians still consider dowry important in their relationships. Properties (house, lands, land) remain the most important arguments for dowry.

• As a rule, a man earns more, but utilities and vacation pay are paid equally.

• Although the tendency to spend money equally on hobbies and personal desires is clear, it is still believed that women spend more on personal desires (31%) and men spend more on hobbies (25%).

• Debts bring couples together. The majority believes that they should be managed together (66%).

• Risky investment decisions are rather taken together (58%).

Unlock Market Research, carried out as part of the BCR initiative, aims to better understand the financial decisions of Romanians by studying relevant contexts such as Valentine’s Day to capture the financial dynamics of those in a relationship or married.

According to research by Unlock, when it comes to saving, 74% of couples say they save money, and more than half of them use savings bank products such as savings accounts or deposits.

• 66% of couples identify an emergency fund as their top savings priority.

• 37% choose to keep money in a current or regular account.

• 19% still prefer to keep their money in cash.

When it comes to managing difficult financial situations, 65% of couples say they have adapted and managed financial changes together, emphasizing a collaborative approach to problem solving. However, 13% said the changes had created tension and controversy, highlighting the importance of an emergency fund and financial planning.

“We were not surprised to find that money can be a factor of tension in a couple’s relationship, but we noticed a growing openness of Romanians to financial education to strengthen the relationship. Most classic couples who share income or depend on only one partner face financial vulnerability related to lower levels of education and income. In general, the study records a number of obvious achievements in financial education at the level of spouses, which we are happy to observe, but also highlights a number of outdated behavior patterns that highlight the need to support these communities in developing a better understanding and management of shared financial resources”, says Adina Vlad, sociologist and founder of Unlock Market Research.

The study also shows that 80% of couples say they combine their incomes and manage the family budget through joint discussion, indicating a high level of transparency and cooperation in the relationship, but access to financial education is still moderate (46% of them) . respondents who regularly search for financial information. In addition, a third of respondents (36%) hid information about money from their partners, which can lead to misunderstandings and tensions.

See the full study here