why is "wife" referred to as "better half".?

Answer 1

Because it is traditional to place women on a pedestal, so -to-speak. It's the same reason that you "congratulate" a man on getting engaged, and you tell a woman that "it's wonderful" or some other such term. A man is "congratulated" for getting the woman - he's the lucky one. And when he gets married, she is his better half.

It's traditional in our society to minimize the importance of men and their contributions to home and family and to heighten the importance of women. Women are jewels to be prized, and men are lucky to have them. Women are valuable and "give themselves" to men, and men "take" or "win" women.

I.e. it is traditional in our society for women to be of value and men to be of lesser value.

Answer 2

It is just a saying that people use in a joking manner!People will ask the woman the same question, refering to her husband as the better half.Most happily married couples do not take it as an offensive question.

Answer 3

If husbands are talking, this is usually meant in a complementary manner yet sarcastic at the same time. Not a phrase to be used with people you don't know well, but still fun and innocent at the same time. It also means the one with better genes, more considerate, and more sophisticated.

Answer 4

A husband may also be referred to in that manner. Usually it's done by friends in a teasing manner. As in , 'Hey, where's your better half?'

Answer 5

It is not only the wife who is reffered to as the better half, but also the husband by his wife.

Every individual knows of his self as full, complete, and whole; and inspite of knowing his self thus; he still continues to seek and look for, and to work and go outside his self and his home; primarily for realising happiness and satisfaction for his self.

He is not aware that so long he is unhappy and dis-satsfied; he is neither full, nor complete, nor whole; but in fact; he is only half, incomplete, and merely a part of all that which is whole; and that is the precise reason he is always in a seeking and looking out mode, and is working and going outside; i.e. only to become happy and satsfied and feel the fullness completeness and wholeness of his self within his self.

The wise who coined the term BETTER HALF; did so only to tell that the half (happiness and satisfaction) which we tend to be seeking and looking out in the world outside, and for realising which we work hard and go outside; can be found in two places;i.e in the world outside and in our respective partners(be it wife or husband); and the better of two is our other partner; and that we should be not only seeking and looking for happiness and satisfaction from them but also should be giving and delivering them to the other.

They felt and knew that the best choice available to mankind to choose happiness and satisfaction from; amongst our partners and the world outside; is always the other partner and not the world outside.

Answer 6

It's a lovely term of endearment.
Either of a pair can be nominated as the better half.

Answer 7

It's half in jest, half in compliment. Sometimes they're just called the "other half".
I just call her my wife. Well the one I married anyway, not just anyone's wife.

Answer 8

Its a pun, the kinder side, the sweeter side, the more giving side, the one who remembers your mothers birthday side, the one that puts up with your little flaws side, the one that drives the kids everywhere side, the one who laughs at your jokes a million times side, the one orchestrates family events and dinners side, the one that babies the babies side, the one that bears the children side, now who is the better half again?

Answer 9

Wives often refer to husbands as their "better half" as well.

It's done out of respect - and acknowledgment that we really don't deserve such a wonderful person in our lives.

Answer 10

Because woman are left to care for the household, the kids, and u ... we cook, clean, wash, shop, car pools, run errands, and we make sure our men look handsome when they walk out the door, without a woman u would have nothing to look forward to coming home too...