Both have to give it 100%. The situation you describe sounds more like a power struggle.

The man has to give more to make the woman comfortable.

I think, in a good relationship, both sides need to give equally. Sometimes, it may seem that one is giving more then the other. I do not think people need to keep count of what they do for each other. I do think that a persons mind should always be focused on her/his lovers needs. +5

it should be mutual... both financially and emotionally.

Sometimes, it takes one person showing their loyalty for the other person's wall to come down and realize the person actually likes them.

A person can only give what he's capable of giving. One can either accept this in a partner, make oneself miserable over it or find someone else.

It is all related. Sometime we get more sometime we give more. Some people always looking for more or less. It is a life which will teach us this.

Ofcourse everyone would think that you both have to give equally to each other but the reality is there is always one that probably does more than the other. Keeping count is never a good thing plus it will fustrate the person who is doing more. I will say this I will not be in any relationship where I'm on the receiving end as well. In life you have to give to get but you also need to receive for that relationship to work because that will get old very quickly. +6

I believe in order for any relationship to work, both partners have to give their all...

i give my all and yes i think it gets returned most of the time

"Equal" is a word I wouldn't use. People can bring different things to the relationship. One person can be the emotional support and the other can be the financial support. Roles can even be switched or shared. It truly depends on the couple. In my case, I am the one financially supporting my bf and I. He's currently a full-time student so he can't take on a full-time job right now and still do well in school. He graduates in a few months and will then go job-hunting so he can help share financial responsibility. He holds a part time job now to bring in a little extra cash to help with food and gas. But even though he's not giving much to the relationship financially, I don't resent him or think he's not doing enough. He's been helping out in other ways. He does very sweet things for me like make my lunch every morning before I go to work and wash the dishes so I don't have to. He helps around the apt without complaining and without me having to ask him over and over to do something. I make sure to tell him how much I appreciate what he does so he knows I notice it. In personality we compliment each other well. We have a good working relationship. So even though I provide the money, he provides other things. It's a balance. :)

I believe it SHOULD be balanced, but yet I also am willing to do what it takes to keep a smile on her face. (granted, I am not in a relationship... but rather a loving-friendship, as in we both love each other, with more complications than I would want to count) I do believe, at times, one will give more than the other, but it will encourage the other to give just as much... Hope that is understandable and I hope this helps. :)

I think it is a seesaw. At times, Aris gives more than me, and I take. Other times, I do the giving. It is rarely equal, but it balances out. I think any good relationship has to work this way. If you are sick, you give less and take more. If you have extra time, you do a bit more for your partner. Simple little things Aris does, like leaving a note saying he did not want to wake me because I was sleeping so well (rare, for me) are his 'extra giving.' For me, things like rubbing his back, or scratching that itch, are the same thing. Those are tiny things, there are major ones, as well. They all add up to a balanced seesaw, tipping one way, then the other, but never too far. A partnership in every sense of the word.