Why do people say 'partner' instead of girlfriend / boyfriend / husband (etc)

B.A._Baracus

Just a random unimportant thread

Why do people refer to others as their 'partner'? ... Instead of girlfriend / boyfriend / wife / husband etc.
I understand its a 'mature' thing to say. For example a 41 year old man dating someone doesnt want to come off as a 15 year old by saying "shes my gurlfriend" - But you actually see married people saying partner Not only that but young people too. Could be only with them six months :pac:

Of course when it comes to homosexual people I perfectly understand the use of it. Its a nice elegant way to state relationships. But, that makes me think... I never heard the use of "partner" until homosexual people started to adobt it to discribe relationships. So ... could it be a 'pc' thing?

After all. My girlfriend is my girlfriend. Should we get engaged. She is my fiance. Should we get married she is my wife. Should the aforementioned fall apart I don't see alot of people refering to their ex-wife as "ex-partner"

Local-womanizer

What difference does it really make though?

I would understand if you introduced your partner as " This is yer wan I'm riding"

Partner/wife/girlfriend, at the end of the day no one really gives a toss!

B.A._Baracus

Local-womanizer wrote: »

What difference does it really make though?

I would understand if you introduced your partner as " This is yer wan I'm riding"

Partner/wife/girlfriend, at the end of the day no one really gives a toss!

Just a random unimportant thread

:P

Father Damo

Back in college one of the lecturers mentioned something about his "partner", it started off some pretty homophobic behind his back chat about him (we were all only 18 mind, fresh out of secondary). Dont know why anyone would say it tbh. Partner to me means in a business sense.

Sharpshooter

Local-womanizer wrote: »

no one really gives a toss!

Apart from those who don't have a girlfriend/boyfriend/partner....

krudler

"this is the woman i'm currently seeing while my divorce is finalised and she's legally separated and fighting for child custody" doesnt have the same ring to it.

its just a term to keep things simple really,mostly hear more mature people using it, you rarely hear someone in their 40s call someone their boyfriend/girlfriend.

gammygils

Partner in Life I suppose.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

I don't know why, but if I'm talking to someone I don't know and they mention their 'partner', I immediately suspect that they are gay.

Sharpshooter

The term Gay or Homosexual would not enter my mind re discussing the term Partner, it escapes me why it was even mentioned in the first post tbh.

Sindri

Because it's factually correct?

fasttalkerchat

Unless it was an older person I would assume they are gay. An older person it could be that they are not married and don't want to say girl/boyfriend.
In a business context it could be a business partner I suppose.

Chuck Stone

I like to say 'this is my current partner'.

B.A._Baracus

Sharpshooter wrote: »

The term Gay or Homosexual would not enter my mind re discussing the term Partner, it escapes me why it was even mentioned in the first post tbh.

I created this thread to have a mature discussion. But instantly you had to comment about the fact I mentioned Homosexual people in my post. Even tho a very large percentage of Homosexual people like to refer to their significant other as their "partner" AND in which I stated I understood the choice of expression.

Quite frankly, how you are a mod baffles me.

DEFTLEFTHAND

I don't know, is it some sort of solidarity P.C bullsh1t now that being gay is acceptable in society?

mikemac1

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

I created this thread to have a mature discussion.

Should have posted in humanities forum then

Akarinn

Its better then saying,.

"dis be the bitch i be bangin"

yoursaviour1989

I'd just like the shift tbh

Rabies

yoursaviour1989 wrote: »

I'd just like the shift tbh

You need to set your targets higher.

1ZRed

I pretty much think they're gay if they say partner. Alright I get it if you're together with them for years and bf/gf doesn't sound as serious but if you actually feel that way, put a ring on it ffs!

I Don't need them fucking up my gaydar with this 'partner' bs :rolleyes:

Sharpshooter

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

I created this thread to have a mature discussion. But instantly you had to comment about the fact I mentioned Homosexual people in my post. Even tho a very large percentage of Homosexual people like to refer to their significant other as their "partner" AND in which I stated I understood the choice of expression.

Quite frankly, how you are a mod baffles me.

I gave my opinion, and quite frankly how you can say you started this thread to have a mature discussion when you posted...

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

Just a random unimportant thread

and then kick off when you disagree with what I posted baffles me.

yoursaviour1989

Rabies wrote: »

You need to set your targets higher.

You should see my face

1ZRed

Rabies wrote: »

You need to set your targets higher.

Or lower??;)

Jhcx

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

"ex-partner"

Wasn't that a Van once?
Was that not a Van once?
A Van once was a Partner a Partner she was he. When the Partner got too old she was a partner no more to be.

Anyway dont you refer to your work colleague as your partner?

Kold

Girlfriend is kinda silly sounding. Something quite childish about it.

xsiborg

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

Just a random unimportant thread

Why do people refer to others as their 'partner'? ... Instead of girlfriend / boyfriend / wife / husband etc.
I understand its a 'mature' thing to say. For example a 41 year old man dating someone doesnt want to come off as a 15 year old by saying "shes my gurlfriend" - But you actually see married people saying partner Not only that but young people too. Could be only with them six months :pac:

Of course when it comes to homosexual people I perfectly understand the use of it. Its a nice elegant way to state relationships. But, that makes me think... I never heard the use of "partner" until homosexual people started to adobt it to discribe relationships. So ... could it be a 'pc' thing?

After all. My girlfriend is my girlfriend. Should we get engaged. She is my fiance. Should we get married she is my wife. Should the aforementioned fall apart I don't see alot of people refering to their ex-wife as "ex-partner"

i completely understand where the OP is coming from, i dont give it an awful lot of thought myself, but when i actually hear someone refer to their boyfriend/girlfriend/wife/husband, etc as their 'partner' or 'life partner', 'signifigant other', 'other half', it just plain and simple hurts my ears and makes me shudder!

of COURSE all these terms stem from the fact that some people seek to be politically correct by using an all encompassing generic term, and thats why it annoys me! to me these terms just come across as some attempt at creating "androgynous equality for all", and they actually take the meaning out of the signifigance of the other person in your life as an individual in their own right. being somebody's wife or husband IS more signifigant than just being their girlfriend or boyfriend, but because society has evolved beyond the norms of the old structures of relationships and we now have more people living together without being married ("co-habiting", my fúcking ears!), we have "fúck buddies", etc, relationships have become very complex, so to fulfill some people's need to categorise, simplify and label everything, we now have all encompassing generic terms like "partner".

i know for myself when people started referring to my girlfriend as my "partner", to me she was more signifigant than "just" my partner, or even "just" my girlfriend, and so she is now my wife, and i always make a point of correcting people when they use these non-specific, androgynous, generic terms.

my wife is my wife, not my partner, not my life partner, not my signifigant other, not my other half, or even my better half, and i have no qualms about correcting those who seem to think its perfectly fine to belittle her signifigance to me as an individual in her own right, just to make themselves feel more comfortable.

when it becomes socially acceptable to ignore the signifigance of an individual who has chosen to spend the rest of their life with you- i dont want to live on this planet any more!

Martyn1989

Ive never introduced my gf as my partner but Id imagine I would only use the term if I felt I was talking to a nosey person and didn't want to give them that info on the 'official' status of my relationship. for the most part it would seem to be a term that conveys a serious, mature, commited relationship (without the wedding) to the person thats using it be they straight/gay etc.

Only self important young professionals, oldies and gay people seem to use the term anyway :rolleyes:.

OakeyDokey

I've used that term before, sometimes there just isn't a technical reason behind it, sometimes you just say it. I don't see anything wrong with the term at all to be honest and have never thought a person to be gay when I've heard them use it.

I guess I see my boyfriend as more than "just a boyfriend" saying the term partner feels more serious but still not quite engaged etc.

Cookie_Monster

I use it all the time, girlfriend seems a bit to casual at this point, not quite made it too wife yet and finance just sounds weird to me. It'll be partner for the next 10 months or so then can just use wife

3ndahalfof6

its what all Texans say

Gummy Panda

They should just say this is "me burd" or "me fella"

simples.

Caseywhale

i used to say "my partner" when referring to my girlfriend.
when my colleagues finally met her one of them said that since i called herbmy partner they thought she would turn out to be a man.

i told her this and she said. "what did you expect, you idiot"
lesson learned.

lynski

it came from something like this i think: I/he/she is too old to be a girl/boy and we do things to each other no friends do ;-)

suicide_circus

I dislike the term, it's cold and snooty

whatdoicare

I could understand a long term boyfriend/girlfriend being called partner- I think alot of people don't feel the need to get married but still want to assert to others that their relationship is more serious. Boyfriend/girlfriend has a less serious feel to it- like they could part ways any day now.

Also I find it gets used as more of a respectful term to people who have a child together and aren't married- it saves the awkwardness of are they, aren't they married? was it a fling? Are they together?etc etc when the word partner get rolled out for some reason people can say to themselves- ah, I get it, not married but in an adult relationship which is pretty much the same.

mrsdewinter

OP, I don't know where you're getting the idea that the word owes its usage to members of the homosexual community. I live and work in pretty un-PC surroundings and 'partner' simply means 'the person I spend my life with'.
Tbh, I think it's quite a useful term because I know couples who have been together for years, have a house, a few kids, etc. Referring to their 'boyfriend' in quite formal contexts seems a little childish...

Odysseus

For me I dislike using the term girlfriend as I now 42 not 13. I'm not married so partner seem the only choice left.

Acoshla

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

I use it all the time, girlfriend seems a bit to casual at this point, not quite made it too wife yet and finance just sounds weird to me. It'll be partner for the next 10 months or so then can just use wife

Well yes that would be an odd thing to call someone

gsxr1

with my Mott for 20 years. Calling her the girlfreind is a bit childish at this stage.

I like to call her

the ole ball and chain.

BlueSmoker

deccurley wrote: »

I don't know why, but if I'm talking to someone I don't know and they mention their 'partner', I immediately suspect that they are gay.

This I find really strange, why would a person assume that, based on someone saying "Partner" , is it an age thing?

I have an nephew, and although he has being going out with a girl for the last 7 years, and that they life together and have two kids together, bought a house together, ect. I do actually feel strange in saying that she is his "Girl Friend" I think they have gone through way to much to be described as that, so I call them "Partners", he is hers, and she is his, simple as that.

Wibbs

Odysseus wrote: »

For me I dislike using the term girlfriend as I now 42 not 13. I'm not married so partner seem the only choice left.

Yea it seems to be more an age thing. For me anyway it would sound odd coming from someone who was 22. Dunno why, though probably I'd think oh oh PC dry shíte type TBH. I wouldn't think "gay" automatically either as most gay folks I've known will say boyfriend/girlfriend[delete as applicable] anyway, only using partner if it's a real longterm thing or again they're older. I suppose if you're gay longterm titles like husband/wife are a very recent thing in society and illegal in more places than they're not so Partner had/has to suffice. Better than me hole/me pole[delete as applicable]

BlueSmoker

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

I created this thread to have a mature discussion. But instantly you had to comment about the fact I mentioned Homosexual people in my post. Even tho a very large percentage of Homosexual people like to refer to their significant other as their "partner" AND in which I stated I understood the choice of expression.

Quite frankly, how you are a mod baffles me.

It was actually mentioned after your Opening Post, and that is what I think the Mod was referring too. I also questioned it the assumption of the use of "Partner" meaning someone was gay, and I don't believe the person who stated it meant any offence by it. It's just one of those things, we assume something and work out our assumption where wrong

And quiet frankly there is no reason to derail your own thread.

Kintarō Hattori

I'm with my lady 8 years. I've been engaged to her for years now and it's getting a little embarrassing calling her my fiancée so I do sometimes refer to her as my partner. Yes marriage is on the cards but that takes money so it'll have to wait a while longer.

BlueSmoker

And oddly enough as a transgender person, I would always refer to who I was dating as "my partner", it keeps it simple for the people who like labels:)

strobe

It's another Americanism that's crept into common usage here and tends to sound a bit daft to my ears really when coming from am Irish person. I tend to primarily hear it coming from the same kind of people that mistake using American phrases and sounding like they watch way too much tv with sounding sophisticated or worldly somehow, a little pretentious if you know what I mean.

Madam_X

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

I don't know, is it some sort of solidarity P.C bullsh1t now that being gay is acceptable in society?

Why would it be either?

daddydick

Sharpshooter wrote: »

I gave my opinion, and quite frankly how you can say you started this thread to have a mature discussion when you posted...



and then kick off when you disagree with what I posted baffles me.

The OP has the sounder argument I think. Mod??

BlueSmoker

Quote:
Originally Posted by DEFTLEFTHAND
I don't know, is it some sort of solidarity P.C bullsh1t now that being gay is acceptable in society?





Oh bless someone had to go there,that is so cute , I love you :rolleyes:

By the way it's a requote. and full of sarcasm

twinQuins

What's this ****e about PC? I swear some people are looking for any excuse to whinge about it.

Downlinz

girlfriend/boyfriend sounds a bit juvenile. If you're over 30 and want your relationship to sound a bit more serious "partner" is a much better choice of word.

CL7

Girlfriend/boyfriend sounds a bit childish when your in your thirties imo. Sometimes I say fiancé but not much because I have no interest in telling everyone I meet that I'm engaged. I've been with my girlfriend for over a decade. She's my partner. If people think that's pretentious then so be it.

flanders1979

its a term used by women who want to get married but haven't yet been asked