Some Canadians are staying in toxic relationships due to high cost of living

Some Canadians can't afford to leave relationships due to high cost of living

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Editor’s note: This article discusses domestic violence.

The high cost of living isn’t just causing Canadians to lose sleep over money woes — in some cases, people are staying in unhappy relationships simply because they can’t afford to leave.

Reddit user u/babygal257 asked in the subreddit r/povertyfinancecanada, “How many of you are staying in relationships you otherwise might not be [in] because of [the] cost of living?”

Canadians described their experience about how their financial situation determined how long they stayed in relationships that were long over.

While the situation wasn’t ideal, it was a practical choice for those on good terms with their exes, even if it did make for a rather awkward situation.

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But one commenter found themselves in a more dangerous situation.

They stated that since they couldn’t afford to live alone, they ended up staying with an abusive partner.

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Women’s Aid, a charity in the UK that aims to end domestic violence against women and children, published a survey in 2022 where 73% of women said that the cost of living “either prevented them from leaving or made it harder for them to leave.”

The situation has many people thinking twice about moving in with their partners.

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What are your thoughts on this issue?