I mean for me it's because I don't date boys or girls.

Millennial approaching 40 here: I still often refer to my wife as partner, just like before we were married. To me, “bf/gf” represented a title whereas “partner” represents what we are. We are a partnership pursuing goals together, rather than just at the same time. We share the weights of life so that neither one of us has to carry too much. We function together as a singular unit, so we are a net 50/50 partnership. Also, it’s a neutral term that engenders inclusion, and that’s always a boon.

Before he was my fiancé he was my partner because idk I feel a lil too old to be saying boyfriend.

In german we say “Lebensabschnittsgefährte“

In Australia it's been just what is said for quite a long time, not just nowadays - for millennials and older. It feels more reflective of adult relationships and is inclusive, although I doubt this was a conscious decision by most up until recently.

Wife or husband feels “possessive” to me, as if he belongs to me. He is his own person, we’re partners in this marriage. Partners in crime if you will 😏

Bf/gf feels young, temporal, non-serious, + for me the terms are tied to stereotypical gendered expectations of behaviour and image. Husband/wife have some level of those too, but I feel they are much less present. As for why I use partner: - completely gender neutral (nb inclusive, doesn't out anyone) - feels less childish than bf/gf - reveals nothing about marital status - reveals nothing about relationship type (long-term, sexual only, polyamorous, mono)

Being in our late 20s/30s I don’t like the “boy/girl” part. It also feels more serious. But also I specifically made the change when a relative went on a rant about how he hates the term “partner” because he’s confused if that means it’s an LGBTQ+ relationship or not and I said it shouldn’t matter what gender the person they’re referring to is and he kind of doubled down. My partner and I are fiancés now but we still say partner most of the time 🤣

I use partner because I have been in a relationship for almost 12 years with no intent to marry, saying my girlfriend just sounds so immature. I think there are many people who don't plan to marry but need a word that indicates a long term relationship.

I do it because even though we aren’t married we are basically married. He isn’t my husband, but he’s more than just my boyfriend/baby daddy.