More Men are Marrying Wealthier Women

[starang21]

i wonder if this and the divorce rate are in any way related?

LOL.

either way. go smart chicks.

[SydneyK]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

Regardless of who makes more, BOTH still need to be bringing in a steady income.

I disagree.

If one spouse makes enough money for the family to live comfortably, then there's no reason why the other spouse needs to be bringing in a steady income, if any income at all.

Having a housewife or househusband allows the couple to have the day to day stuff taken care of without intruding on the family's time together. Said housewives and househusbands (hws and hhs) aren't necessarily unambitious, either. For instance, I've seen hws and hhs who are huge assets to their communities because of the volunteer work they do.

Originally Posted by starang21

i wonder if this and the divorce rate are in any way related?

I don't have any hard stats to cite, but I've heard that the likelihood of divorce is directly proportional to the education level of the woman (assuming the highest education level was attained before the marriage). The higher the education, the less likely the marriage would result in divorce.

Then again, I've Heard and They Say are the biggest liars in town, so take that for what you will.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by SydneyK

I disagree.

If one spouse makes enough money for the family to live comfortably, then there's no reason why the other spouse needs to be bringing in a steady income, if any income at all.

True on that point.

I misspoke.

If a spouse is making just enough to cover the bills then both should be making steady incomes to do more than 'just cover'.

Question: What about in cases when one is making enough (or more than enough) to cover all expenses but the other wants to work for the sake of being busy? Not necessarily volunteer work but in their career field. What are your thoughts on that?

[SydneyK]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

Question: What about in cases when one is making enough (or more than enough) to cover all expenses but the other wants to work for the sake of being busy? Not necessarily volunteer work but in their career field. What are your thoughts on that?

I have no problem with that at all. In fact, I think that's an ideal situation.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

Question: What about in cases when one is making enough (or more than enough) to cover all expenses but the other wants to work for the sake of being busy? Not necessarily volunteer work but in their career field. What are your thoughts on that?

This was the case of my parents. When my dad made the move from teaching to administration, my mom didn't "need" to work anymore. But, she loved her job, felt like she was contributing to the household, and in the end lived a very busy and happy career and personal life.

Had something ever happened to my dad, though, we would have been able to survive, but not by much.

Right now, between live-in and I, we just cover all of our bills. Of course, things are going well for him at work so that won't be the case for too long. I think, though, that as long as I'm legally able to work (this may only make sense to a handful of people on GC) I will probably work, even if I don't make much, because I feel like I would be contributing to the household.

My parents were in a very similar financial situation whenever they got married, but the education was on the other side (my dad had the Master's, my mom had the Bachelor's). It'd be interesting to see which of us is the primary "breadwinner" down the line, but I think it'll probably be live-in, mostly because his "industry" is growing and is expected to grow for quite some time, whereas mine is fairly static.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by SydneyK

I disagree.

If one spouse makes enough money for the family to live comfortably, then there's no reason why the other spouse needs to be bringing in a steady income, if any income at all.

Having a housewife or househusband allows the couple to have the day to day stuff taken care of without intruding on the family's time together. Said housewives and househusbands (hws and hhs) aren't necessarily unambitious, either. For instance, I've seen hws and hhs who are huge assets to their communities because of the volunteer work they do.



I don't have any hard stats to cite, but I've heard that the likelihood of divorce is directly proportional to the education level of the woman (assuming the highest education level was attained before the marriage). The higher the education, the less likely the marriage would result in divorce.

Then again, I've Heard and They Say are the biggest liars in town, so take that for what you will.

This is where I disagree. I very easily could have a househusband. I have told my DH in no uncertain terms that no matter what he does or how much he makes, he has to work 5 days a week like I do. Otherwise, he'd sit at home, spend money and GET NOTHING DONE! Maybe having a houseWIFE would be useful but not my DH! Not to mention, I didn't rack up my husband's educational debt so he can work to pay that off-- hell he had a full scholarship to med school and still has as much debt from student loans as I do ( I just lived more frugally!)

[SydneyK]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

This is where I disagree. I very easily could have a househusband. I have told my DH in no uncertain terms that no matter what he does or how much he makes, he has to work 5 days a week like I do. Otherwise, he'd sit at home, spend money and GET NOTHING DONE! Maybe having a houseWIFE would be useful but not my DH! Not to mention, I didn't rack up my husband's educational debt so he can work to pay that off-- hell he had a full scholarship to med school and still has as much debt from student loans as I do ( I just lived more frugally!)

That just sounds like sour grapes, the I-have-to-do-it-so-you-do-too mindset.

Regardless, my comment about the benefit of hws and hhs was more of a general point. It goes without saying that not every husband or wife is cut out to be a hh or hw (and that not every husband or wife is cut out to have a hh or hw).