What is Partnership in a Romantic Relationship?

The word “partnership” can sometimes make a relationship sound more like a transactional arrangement. It’s usually used in boardrooms to describe arrangements between two companies who share a common interest and work together to fulfill that mutual interest, as well as their own individual best interests. This requires that both companies continue to work toward their own individual goals while advocating for what they want and need from the other. At the end of the day, they are both out to be successful in their own way, and their partnership only helps them get closer to making that a reality. Partnerships function in a similar way when it comes to romantic relationships.

At the end of the day, romantic relationships are partnerships. It can be tempting to think of them as separate arrangements so as not to muddy what it means to be romantic. But when it comes down to it, we make these mutually beneficial arrangements every day. We agree to feed the pets while our partner takes out the trash. We each express what we want for dinner, we come to an agreement, and then one makes dinner while the other does the dishes. Without a romantic partner, we would likely end up doing all of these things on our own. So while it’s true that we have romantic and sexual feelings for our partner, there is a certain practicality that requires that we work together to accomplish things that benefit us both. 

Sometimes partnerships require that we advocate for our own wants and needs even if they aren’t our partner’s wants and needs. Our partner likely wants to help us fulfill those wants and needs, and when they do, then it’s our turn to be receptive to their advocacy. It starts with open and honest communication, and it ends in agreement and understanding. Partnerships don’t always require that we work toward a mutually beneficial end, but rather that we collectively work toward supporting each other in the pursuit of individual goals (though sometimes both parties share the same individual goal).

So how can we best define “partnership” in the scope of a relationship? Here is one definition: Partnership, in regard to a romantic relationship, is the push and pull of advocating for your own wants and needs, while staying attentive and responsive to your partner’s advocacy of their own. All romantic relationships are partnerships, and as two individuals working toward common and dissimilar goals, it’s up to the both of parties to work together to achieve those of the couple as well as those of the individual.

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