Normalised relationship scams

THERE’S a question that has been posed on social media, ‘what’s a scam that’s so normalised that we don’t even realise it’s a scam anymore?’, that gets a ton of responses on each platform it’s posted on each time. From tipping after paying service charge in a restaurant, to car insurance being mandatory but payouts being subjective, the responses always make you think.

Then there are the scams some people have raised about relationships ­— normalised gender roles, for example, and others, that the people below can’t stop thinking about.

Tonoya, 40:

Women being incubators, having to watch their whole bodies change just to bring forth a baby, then being the default caregiver who can’t deny maternity while the other gender can. It never ceases to amaze me what a raw deal women have gotten.

Judith, 38:

A Jamaican man imploring you to forgive his cheating ways and accept the other woman and the baby that comes with his infidelity, but if a woman does the same she’s a jezebel, who can never be forgiven and who will wear a scarlet letter forever.

April, 26:

Not being able to truly choose what happens with your body as a woman, and because there’s lack of choice, so many women have children they can’t afford, and for whom they will have no support for, and the same people who block access or bun out certain things, are the same people who will offer no form of help or social support to that struggling woman.

Nichelle, 37:

The career mom and wife trope is ridiculous. Being told you can have it all and do both effectively, when we all know it’s impossible. And even though we know it’s impossible, women are still chastised when they fail at it.

Stephanie, 29:

A Jamaican man declaring his love. That’s a scam that’s even bigger than the lottery scam, and you need a thump in your back if you fall for it.