Aussie singleton sparks debate over ‘new dating normal’ after revealing how her student debt got her dumped

An Aussie singleton has revealed how sharing details about her student debt got her dumped, sparking a debate about debt transparency when dating and whether it’s fair to be turned off by a potential partner depending on their financial situation.

Taking to Reddit, the dating hopeful said she’d been spurned by two men over her “significant” student debt and she asked if it was a “new normal” among young Aussie men to be preoccupied with building wealth.

The woman further revealed how she’d been branded a “red flag by one guy” and “rejected” after sharing she had a HECS debt of “under $70,000”.

“He asked and I answered honestly as it was 8 months in and things were going well,” she wrote.

She said another potential partner, who was also a tradie, “found it a negative because he was looking for someone to build a future with and by a property it affects borrowing capacity significantly. He owned a unit and didn’t want any hurdles to get a PPOR”.

Her admission sparked chatter among the Reddit community, with one person commenting: “They’re the red flags. Building a future is overcoming hurdles together. Not avoiding them from the start.”

Another wrote: “I reckon it’s a green flag if someone invested in their future and didn’t get everything served by parents.”

But financial planner and co=host of the money podcast How Do They Afford That? argued it was ‘natural’ for people considering a new partnership to have some concerns over money and debt.

“Naturally people are concerned and want people that are good with money,” she told Yahoo Finance.

“People look at these things when they’re dating and they’re looking for a long term partner, that’s human nature. Especially if you’re going to be looking at combining financial responsibilities such as having a mortgage together or having a family together.

“At some point there’s going to be a shared responsibility, so people naturally are concerned and want people that are good with money.”

But HECS debt shouldn’t be seen in the same negative light that other debts are, she went on to elaborate, stating: “It’s an investment in yourself.”

While the financial guru appreciates that some may not enjoy the idea of having a partner who is financially reliant on them in the future, she argues its ‘unfair’ to reject someone without knowing their full circumstances.

“That’s quite unfair because who knows what they’ve done to get to university, to be able to afford to borrow that money to invest in themselves, and the sacrifices that they’ve made.”