no.
it should be viewed as part of the couple’s money and should be spent as such. I don’t get this… women want equality, etc. which is all fantastic and long overdue. everybody (man or woman) should be allowed to work and should work.
but where does this equality go when it comes to money? why shouldn’t part of the woman’s earnings go to pay the bills, family savings, etc?
similarly, I don’t understand the relevance of the concept of haq mehr either (thinking logically here, so please save the lecture on religion). haq mehr was supposed to be a safety net of some sort for the girl. but if the girl is working too and has a decent career, why does the guy have to pay this safety net then? if he wants to give her a gift, fine, but the religiously mandated insurance/safety net doesn’t make sense to me in today’s world.