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Wive’s higher salaries often motivate their spouses to divorce

On Behalf of | May 10, 2019 | Divorce

Marriages often don’t end well when wives bring in a higher salary than their husbands. This is one of the latest insights that researchers working on a MEL magazine story recently uncovered.

Data recently released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) captures how 38% of American women earn more on the job than their husbands do.

U.S. Census Bureau data captures how couples often report the wife’s income as 1.5% lower than what it actually is when the husband makes less than the wife. On the flip side of the coin, the male spouse will often inflate their salary by as much as 2.9%.

The increase in salaries among women may seem to send a message to some that society is becoming more accepting of successful females. Many analysts point out that old-fashioned views about males needing to be breadwinners still seem to prevai, however. This is especially the case among those belonging to older generations.

Researchers working on this MEL magazine study sought to make sense of what compels couples to stay together.

Some analysts argue that couples are most likely to split up when a female makes more money than their male spouse. Others argue that this motivates male partners to stick with the successful women in their lives. They argue that this may stem from the husbands not being able to support their lifestyle if they were to split up.

Interviews conducted among 6,300 couples by a Harvard sociologist earlier this year captured how many couples still hold on to old-fashioned views of marriage. Even then, the researchers ultimately concluded that the risk of a couple getting divorced is 33% higher if a husband doesn’t have a full-time job than when they do.

Many factors can lead a Riverside couple to decide to divorce aside from an unequal pay distribution. California spouses who are committed to splitting up may find it of some solace to know that with the right lawyer, you can get through a divorce. Making decisions about alimony awards, child custody, property division and other matters is much easier if you allow a divorce attorney to guide you through the process.