real life

The Lifestyle Prenup. So hot right now.

By LUCY ORMONDE

No phones at the table. No tweeting in bed. Sex a minimum of three times a week. Dinner with the in-laws quarterly. No golf ever. Watching sport on TV capped at 4 hours per week. 6 during footy finals. Regular Brazilian waxes for her. No beard for him. Crocs absolutely forbidden for everyone.

These are just a few ideas for your Lifestyle prenup. You know, the thing you may now be expected to sign when you enter a serious relationship.

It’s so hot right now.

Apparently Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his partner Priscilla signed a relationship agreement before they moved in together a few years ago.

The agreement said they had to go on one date night and spend at least 100 minutes (1 hr, 40 mins) away from Mark’s apartment and office every week.

No word on the consequences of violating the agreement – but we couldn’t help but think Priscilla was doing everything in her power to make her boyfriend giver her some face time away from a screen. Which is, you know, probably understandable.

Anyway, according to our favourite source of all things topical, conversational and credible, The Daily Mail, Mark and Priscilla are not the only couples signing up to lifestyle agreements – which are otherwise known as pre-prenups.

Unlike regular prenups, these agreements aren’t about protecting income or assets (or in Mark’s case, the coupla dollars in his bank account), but the day-to-day lifestyles of those signing up.

Lawyers in the U.S. are reporting rising demand for ‘pre-prenups’; agreements that see unmarried couples addressing their relationship expectations in print.

A survey from the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers revealed that there had been a 39 per cent increase in request for cohabitation agreements from live-in couples over the past five years.

Different from a traditional prenup, which typically addresses financial issues in the event of a divorce, a relationship agreement allows couples to establish expectations from a lifestyle perspective.

These might include division of labour when it comes to housework, and how much quality time a couple feels they should spend together.

So no TV in the bedroom? Less Fox Sports and more foot massages? Or how about bathroom cleaning duties are evenly distributed?

If you had one, what would you put in your lifestyle prenup?

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Top Comments

Anonymous 12 years ago

No laughing at farts.
Lots of romance.


Anonymous 12 years ago

Sounds like entering a room mate agreement with Dr Sheldon Cooper.