When it comes to love, you don't talk about money. It's hardly romantic – some might even say it's indecent – to dwell on such material concerns, when supposedly it would be enough to simply split all shared expenses 50/50, no questions asked. For Maylis, age 28, going half and half even seemed like "the fairest solution" when she moved in with her partner. As a modern woman, "I wanted to owe nothing and to be completely financially independent," she explained.

That was until she looked further into the future. "I had to face the reality that, the world being what it is, I will never earn as much as my partner in my lifetime and that, however much I want equality, I'd end up losing out if we never talked about money," said the digital designer. Her realization came after listening to the podcast Rends l'argent ("Give the Money Back"), which aired in 2023 and was written by feminist author Titiou Lecoq. The podcast breaks down the relentless dynamic of taboos and inequalities that, statistically, leave women in heterosexual relationships financially worse off, while men accumulate wealth.

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