The New York Times recently printed an article about how men are increasingly likely to marry women who have more education and higher incomes than they do. The article is based off of recent census data of Americans 30-44 years of age. This age range is the first generation to have more women with college degrees than men.
The article states that in 1970, 4% of husbands had wives who made more money. By 2007 that figure rose to 22%. It also pointed out that this figure will continue to rise, especially in our current economic state. During the economic downturn 3 out of 4 of those who were laid off were men.
In terms of marriage, it has been established that men receive more benefits from being married than women do from the standpoint of mental and physical well-being. Now as the income gap changes, men are becoming increasingly reliant on their wives income for their economic well-being as well.
Many of the women interviewed for the article complained about trying to find a man who was not intimidated by their income. They complained of being dumped because they were considered "high maintenance" because they did not need someone to take care of them or because the man was insecure about money.
People generally enter relationships to satisfy their needs for relatedness and intimacy. To fulfill these needs the relationships need to be communal relationships. These are relationships where those in the relationship each bring something into the relationship and try to satisfy the others needs. Evolutionarily, men have been the partner in the relationship that satisfies the physiological needs of food and water, while women satisfy the men's need for sex. Men provided physical resources, while women provided reproductive resources. Women who have their own resources no longer need the men, which makes the relationship feel less like a communal relationship for men. This can be unsettling for both members of the relationship and keep the need for relatedness or intimacy from being satisfied. This may account for some of the women's complaints of men not wanting to be in a relationship with them.
As someone who is planning on attending graduate school, I found this article interesting and got me thinking:
Does making more money make a difference in how you feel about another person?
Would you feel insecure or intimidated if your significant other made significantly more money than you did?
Would an income difference be enough motivation to date or not date another person?
The article can be found at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/19/us/19marriage.html?em
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