A woman has been applauded for giving her mom a taste of her own medicine after she tried to suggest her boyfriend was bankrolling their lifestyle.

In times gone by, men assumed the role of breadwinners in the relationship with women taking a backseat when it came to all things financial. Today, such outdated notions have been left in the rearview mirror. In fact, if anything, women today have been found to strive for independence when it comes to money matters.

A study carried out by HerMoney and the Alliance for Lifetime Income earlier this year found that just 33 percent of women in a relationship had merged their finances with a significant other.

Meanwhile, just 2 percent of single women polled as part of the research said they intended to combine their earnings with that of a spouse or partner in the future.

Yet, despite these developments, debate still rages among some quarters over what constitutes a financially independent woman. In the case of one conflict detailed in a viral Reddit post, that definition can even be the source of some considerable family strife.

Writing under the handle Former_Wafer4400, a user claiming to be a 22-year-old woman recalled how she began having problems at home after she started dating a man "from a wealthy family."

According to the post, the issue centered around her 37-year-old mom who raised her as a single parent and was always determined not to let "any men" exert financial control over her.

As a result, the woman's mom has taken umbrage with her daughter's latest boyfriend whom the daughter said tends to "shower" her with gifts and surprises.

She said her mom "doesn't like it" as she feels like her daughter is "relying on his money." Her daughter, however, insisted this is "not true" and noted the fact she currently holds down two jobs.

Things escalated a few months ago when, according to the daughter, her cousin introduced her mom to the concept of sugar daddies and sugar babies.

To the uninitiated, the term "sugar daddy" refers to an older man who lavishes a younger woman with gifts in return for her company. A "sugar baby" is the colloquial term for the woman who receives said gifts.

While her daughter's boyfriend may have only been two years older than her, the woman said that her mom has been using it to describe her daughter's relationship.

"I've tried to explain to her that my relationship is genuine, that my boyfriend and I are loving partners and that he's not my bag of money, but she doesn't understand," she said. "I feel like she respects me less because of this."

The situation changed, however, when her mom began dating a 45-year-old man called Ben and he proceeded to shower her with gifts like flowers and jewelry while whisking her off on trips.

Though her daughter noted "the hypocrisy" of her mom accepting the gifts, she "said nothing" until recently when her mom made another remark about sugar babies only to minutes later receive flowers from her boyfriend.

At that point, her daughter said she could not resist cracking a joke, telling her: "Good! Now we are both sugar babies, mom."

Unfortunately, her mom failed to see the funny side, insisting "it was different" and later demanding via text she apologize because, as she saw it, "it's not the same."

While the mom appeared indignant, the vast majority of people following along on social media felt her daughter had been right to respond the way she did.

Mm172 told the woman she should reply: "You're right, it's not the same. I was just trying to make a point. You, on the other hand, have repeatedly disrespected my boyfriend and my relationship, and I'm still waiting for my apology."

TogarSucks went one step further, suggesting the woman message her mom saying: ""I guess you're right. Your boyfriend is much older than you and your relationship isn't as serious as mine is, considering you've only been together for a few months."

He_Who_Is_Right_ meanwhile felt the mom only had herself to blame, commenting: "Your mother sowed. Your mother reaped." Jiang_Rui agreed, writing: "What went around, came around."

StrangerOnReddit added: "Honestly I think your mom tossed the sugar baby/daddy at you guys out of jealousy...I'd be very upfront and let her know that you are insulted that she would think the only reason you are with your boyfriend is to get money... it's rude and shows she doesn't respect you."

Newsweek reached out to u/Former_Wafer4400 for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.

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