An Examination of Redditors’ Metaphorical Sensemaking of Prenuptial Agreements

Through a reflexive thematic analysis of user-generated Reddit threads and a sensemaking lens, this study investigated how people made sense of prenuptial agreements through metaphors. Some posters framed prenuptial agreements as undesirable, antithetical to marriage’s purpose (comparing them to escape or back up plans and harbingers of doubt). However, most viewed prenups as beneficial, conceptualizing them as a safety net (a form of insurance or prevention) or essential contract. Redditors’ understanding of prenups provides valuable insight into how people rationalize something that remains taboo and stigmatized in society, despite potential benefits to people’s interpersonal and financial well-being. As metaphors guide individuals’ everyday thinking and behaviors, prenuptial agreement sensemaking can inform how stigma can be affected through people’s narratives, as well as the power of metaphor to influence and alter people’s thoughts, actions, and identities. The findings both underscore the need to destigmatize prenuptial agreements in order to encourage premarital conversations about money and inform several implications for practice and policy.