Johannesburg - The discussion on girlfriend allowance has always made temperatures run high, whether one believes it is a fine gesture or not.
When popular YouTuber Penuel The Black Pen spoke about his stance on girlfriend allowance, there was no doubt that his sentiments would raise contoversy.
While this widespread terminology is given many interesting explanations, the most common definition is the sum of money a man pays to his girlfriend to take care of her expenses.
Many say it is like a salary, but a salary that is freely given to you.
Penuel believes that when a man starts giving a woman money, she is nothing more than a contracted sex worker.
Is girlfriend allowance synonymous with sex work?
Also, what is an appropriate amount of money that matches this rank by modern standards?
These are just a few questions raised on social media around this heated subject.
Punuel also says that money could be the reason why most men feel entitled about women.
"My stance on girlfriend allowance is one of a few. I think if a woman is getting money for nothing else other than being a girlfriend and is sleeping with the guy, she is nothing more than a contracted sex worker. So she has a tender, a short-term and long-term tender, with this guy who pays her every month, so he has access to have sex with her because she is offering no other value. It could also be that she is not a sex worker but offers other services. So I give you a girlfriend allowance of R2000, but it is also because you cook for me every night or every other night. You clean the house where we stay, and you do my laundry. If I have children that are not yours, you help me with babysitting and being a nanny. And maybe if I have a business, you can assist me with some of the business deals and errands that need to be run. So it almost becomes an indirect or informal salary and wage for the value that you add to my life."
"On the other side, it's almost like when you give a partner money just for being your partner. It's no different from seeing them as your child. Your woman then becomes your firstborn child because you are giving her an allowance like a normal child. If I have a daughter who is fourteen, sixteen, or eighteen, I give her money to do her hair, do her nails, buy toiletries, get around, go to the movies, etc. Your woman becomes your child, so that's where maybe these guys started getting the entitlement that you belong to me because you like my child."
Penuel’s sentiments were met with mixed reaction on social media, with many agreeing with him while others simply blasted his ideas of a girlfriend allowance.
The subject of girlfriend allowance isn't new in South Africa, as Boity Thulo sent social media into a tizz when she said that a R450 000 girlfriend allowance would be perfect for her.
Thulo was with the popular influencer Mihlali Ndamase, who also revealed that she received R50 000 when she was younger and further added that she now expects R100 000.
The Star