A woman does not need to be submissive to compromise though I do think women will compromise more than men will ever do. And unfortunately money and a lot of it, is needed to survive in this greedy world. I don’t know where you come from but I don’t know many people around me who can afford to stay home. Money is not about superiority; it is about paying the bills and if you have enough left over, paying for entertainment because not much is free in life.

I highly respect my boyfriend who means the world to me and we both have to work, there is no way around it. I am very proud to have him in my life and we both compromise. I absolutely love it when he takes care of me and I look up to him because he is such a wonderful person and I love to take care of him as well and sometimes I wish I had the money to do more for him because I love him not because I want to feel or be superior. We don’t compete about money, we just need money to survive and pay our bills. And our situation is a bit more complicated because he is American.

First, let’s get a few things straight: I am French and live in Australia and Australia does not have the highest crime rate. My upbringing was a very strict one: in bed by 8.30pm on school nights, not allowed to leave the table until everything on the plate was eaten, not allowed to approach the fridge in between meals and if my sister and I ever did a mistake, we paid the price… very painful. I respect my parents and they taught me good morals and values, but at 37 I still fear my father and because I was not allowed to dislike food, for years I “hated” veggies.

Disrespect does not come from just the parents; it also comes from this society and so called politicians that are supposed to make this world a better place. Disrespect comes from TV shows that tell our kids it is ok to be pregnant at 15 or that sleeping around and cheating is a daily routine…

I am disrespectful of a man’s identity? Not true. I love men even though I would have lots of reasons for disliking them. My ex husband never wanted me to work, not because he was earning enough but because he was a jealous and possessive man and no one was allowed to look at me or talk to me. You have no idea what I have gone through to save my marriage.

I am not stronger but I do have a strong personality which helps to go through the challenges of life. I am not afraid to run to my boyfriend to cry on his shoulder and nothing feels better than being comforted by your other half.