Why is a woman called the better half of her man?

The expression ‘Better half’ has always been a common saying among men who take pride in showing off their women. “Let me introduce you to my better half—my wife.” A marriage becomes whole when two people equally contribute towards maintaining and retaining their bond. A half becomes full when either of the partners steps up as the missing piece of the puzzle that’s stopping the bond from being full.

A wife is usually called the better half because she takes up the responsibility of sharing all the activities of her husband. A wife comes into the life of a man and fills his life with compassion, care and understanding.

Men are usually believed to lack in areas concerning love and sensitivity and women fill this gap by showing their partner loads of love. A woman primarily teaches her man to be accepting of emotions and susceptible to vulnerability. She paves the path for her man to accept her love and let go of the hard emotions that have forced him to always display his ‘manly and rough’ side to everyone.

The representation of women in pop culture and films in romantic movies has more or less been a way to soften a man up. The storyline usually includes a rough and tough man who cares for none and knows nothing about love. His heart is never full or rather empty but then miraculously, comes a woman who saves him from drowning in his own fears. She teaches him how love can be soft and warm-hearted and how the light will shine through in the darkest hours. And step by step, she steps up to be his better half.

A man can always be rest assured that his woman, his wife and his better half will always be beside him, walking with him every step of the way. A wife is responsible for taking care of half of the duties of her husband. A marriage is a sacred tie between a man and a woman. When there’s mutual cooperation, understanding, honesty and love, no marriage can break even in the toughest of situations. A woman is supposed to help her husband and ease his anxiety about duties, burdens, responsibilities and problems.

And so, when a woman can step up to doing these jobs and most importantly, provide her husband with emotional and mental support, she is known as the ‘better half.’ This is also considered an adorable or affectionate term that men use to describe their lovable wives. There also comes a sense of pride when calling their wives their better halves—a sense of belonging and fulfilment.