What does “partner” mean

[Anonymous]

This guy at work always refers to the woman in his life as his “partner.” “My partner and I ate at this great restaurant.” When our department sent out an email on the both of his daughter, it said “congrats to Jedediah Smith and his partner Johanna on the birth of their daughter Jinger!”

But I’ve also seen wedding pictures of these two so I know they’re married. Or at least were.

Do some people just not like the term wife? Just curious.

[Anonymous]

Maybe they used “partner” before marriage and it stuck.

[Anonymous]

It may mean they're legally domestic partners. Or maybe he feels like he's too old for the terms boyfriend/girlfriend. Or maybe he thinks it makes their relationship sound more committed than boyfriend/girlfriend, but for whatever reason they don't intend to be legally married.

[Anonymous]

^&Oh sorry, didn't see the part about them being married. Weird.

[Anonymous]

I often refer to my spouse as "my partner." Feels more representative of our relationship than husband/wife, which feel impersonal and dated to me when I use those terms. Saying "my husband" or "my wife" also has (to me at least) a sense of something you possess, rather than an independent person you are linked to. Maybe it's just me. "Partner" feels more natural.

[Anonymous]

I hear this more often than I used to.

In the UK, it's commonplace, even for married couples.

It's a more egalitarian term and I think started to become popular before equal rights for marriage. So some people began adopting it in order to equalize the situation for folks who couldn't marry.

I know adults who use it when not married because "boyfriend" and "girlfriend" sounds juvenile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This guy at work always refers to the woman in his life as his “partner.” “My partner and I ate at this great restaurant.” When our department sent out an email on the both of his daughter, it said “congrats to Jedediah Smith and his partner Johanna on the birth of their daughter Jinger!”

But I’ve also seen wedding pictures of these two so I know they’re married. Or at least were.

Do some people just not like the term wife? Just curious.

It means that they engage in sexual relations.

[Anonymous]

I would assume they're not married (long term bf/gf) or are a gay couple.

[Anonymous]

They're not married and he prefers that term to GF.

[Anonymous]

perhaps his feminist partner has forced him to use gender-neutral terms to refer to her - not spouse or wife as that is too patriarchal

[Anonymous]

People, learn to read the OP.

He probably feels it's more egalitarian and doesn't carry the cultural expectations and weight of saying "husband" or "wife". "Spouse" would work too, but it's a little formal for casual conversation.

[Anonymous]

It is becoming more common to use the word partner. Use of husband or wife considered is considered outdated and not inclusive. I still get confused sometimes and wonder business partner? tenis partner?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People, learn to read the OP.

I can read. I don't think wedding pictures mean they are automatically married. Some people just throw a party because they consider themselves married but don't want the legal part.

[Anonymous]

Jinger? Ugh.

[Anonymous]

Maybe he's a cowboy, and he's actually saying "Pardner"?