The man is the head of the family.
However, most men take it to mean they have the final say in what happens in the house.

There are times when major decisions need to be taken and the input of the wife becomes necessary...
Men tend to act spontaneously but women tend to look at the finer details before making up their minds.
In some cases, the man rejects the opinion of his wife to his own detriment.

A lady friend once complained that she had stopped worrying about what her husband decided to do in the house.
This is because her husband never took her advice for anything; that she did not know anything.

My opinion and practice has been to consult each other so that both will share the profit or loss therein.
Common situations when the couple should agree with each other include the following:

1. Education: Public vs Private school for the children. what is the superior argument for/against each?

2. Transportation: What make and size of car to buy. Do you need a car at the moment given other responsibilities?
The lady I talked about advised against a particularly expensive car. Husband went ahead to buy.
Not long after, car was sold because maintenance was drilling holes in the family pocket.

3. Housing: Should you erect a bungalow as family house over 6 months period or make it a storey house over 2 years?

4. Business: Should you go into that business or does she object to your partnership with X?
A lady advised against her husband starting a consultancy business because she didn't think it would be lucrative.
In one year, only very few people came in for mere enquiries. It folded and all those office furnishings now occupy space at home.

5. Help: extended family members and in-laws will definitely need help, mostly financial.
Who should be helped and to what extent is usually a burning issue. Wife is most likely to cry of marginalisation of her people.

Now my personal dilemma.

Our family building has reached the stage for the roof fascia and the tall concrete columns of the front porch.
Wife prefers the pillars square instead of circular because they say it is the vogue now and you can install marbles on the walls.
I prefer the circular columns because of its Gothic appearance. Besides, it does not go out of fashion.

We are agreed on not using in-situ concrete parapet because of weight, cost and other considerations.
The new thing now, they say, is Polystyrene parapet. Alternative is aluminum. These are expensive plus will need regular maintenance.

I do not want to spend money on mere external beautification that does not add function to the house.
Severally, we have brainstormed on what is the essence of a parapet/fascia. Do we need to divert so much money to it.

Going by the size of our building (sitting room, kitchen and 5 rooms on the ground floor), we will need arm and leg for those fancy fascia.
My argument is to use the good old thick long span aluminum for the fascia and soffit so we can do other things with the money saved.
My fear generally is that soon, faults will be found in these new things and other new materials will replace them.

We have not concluded. I am still researching on these options.

I have narrated this story to emphasise the need to consult our spouses before we make major decisions in the family.
The man may not know it all. The woman, too, may not be as knowledgeable as her husband in that particular matter.

My opinion anyway.

It takes a gentleman to agree with you. I personal would have made alot of expensive mistakes if not for my spouse.

It takes a man with a certain level of exposure to embrace what you've preached up there actually!