Woman Kicks Out Husband of 7 Years, Says His Contributions to the Family Are ‘Minimal’

There are natural ups and downs in any marriage — but for one woman, the imbalance in her relationship became too much to bear.

In a recent Reddit post, she shared that she and her husband had been together for eight years and married for seven. But recently, things reached a breaking point.

“Last night I kicked him out and we will likely get a divorce,” she wrote.

When they first met, her husband was “a partner in a successful business,” and she had a thriving career of her own. They soon moved in together, traveled the world, and shared similar goals and values.

After marrying, he supported her through a devastating late-term pregnancy loss — but over time, their lives began to unravel.

“The past five years have been tough,” she explained. “My husband had a string of professional failures including losing his original business, being fired from a corporate job, and starting a new business that has been slow to take off.”

Meanwhile, she was working “a high-pressure job” to keep the family afloat, while also caring for their two children and managing most of the housework.

“Eventually, I was burning out and wanted to change jobs,” she said. “Last year, I forced a move back to my original city where I had better career opportunities. This increased my husband’s commute to three hours a day and caused a lot of resentment.”

Despite her efforts to stabilize their life, his business continued to struggle, and his help around the house remained minimal.

“I pay the majority of the bills and provide the vast majority of the childcare,” she wrote. “I’m almost always the only one to cook, clean, pick up the kids, or take them to extracurriculars. He can’t be relied on when I travel for work or even when I had major surgery — my parents had to step in to help.”

Whenever she raised the issue of his lack of contribution, he blamed his long commute. Beyond occasionally buying groceries, she said, he left nearly all financial and household responsibilities to her.

Though she still loves him, she confessed she “cannot pour from an empty cup” — and his presence now feels more like an additional source of stress than support.

“He’s good with the kids but is rarely around and shows no interest in offering practical help when it’s needed,” she added. “I’ve been supportive of everything he’s wanted to do, but I can’t help feeling this situation is very unfair.”

After countless arguments and repeated threats from her husband to leave — which he never acted on — she finally took action herself.

“Last night I finally had enough and kicked him out,” she wrote. “He’s now threatening to pursue child custody and alimony.”

Turning to Reddit, she asked whether she was wrong for deciding to move on from her marriage.

Most commenters were firmly on her side.

“Talk to a lawyer immediately to find out what divorce would look like for you,” one person advised. The woman replied, “I’ve been talking to a lawyer for the past year as this outcome seemed likely (if not welcome).”

Another commenter offered similar guidance: “This is the most practical advice. You need to protect yourself and your children financially right away. His threats about custody and alimony mean the gloves are off — consulting a lawyer isn’t an aggressive move, it’s a necessary one to secure your rights and your family’s future.”