'Does it feel right for a woman to earn more than a man?' poll

Richard019

Are the results going to be influenced by the disparity in average earnings?

Regardless of gender, I would expect that if you ask someone on £12k a year whether they want their partner to be earning more or less than them they're a lot more likely to say they want their partner to earn more than someone on £20k is.

With more women earning lower wages than men that should make the results look like women are leaning towards the old fashioned values more, even though it's for different reasons.

Similarly with men earning more at present, for a woman to be earning more than them there's a certain Thatcher like image created about the type of woman that's likely to be, which could push male votes towards the old fashioned values.

Obviously we're talking about the extremes in each case, but even if it's only the 10% of lowest earning women and 10% of highest earning men it would still impact.

Personally, when I'm with someone I like to be earning enough to look after both of us if I need to, but I also prefer it if they can at least support themselves financially. Ideally both of us should be earning enough to support us if the other lost their job, once that's reached I'm not the least bit interested in what we're earning, the security is what matters.

xhannnahx

I would have chosen the option "I'd prefer if I earned more, but I wouldn't worry", but that option wasn't there for women. I'm competitive and ambitious, what's wrong with that?

kepler

It has been suggested that due to the housing situation, wealth will be increasingly passed down through families. For younger people the question polled here may have to be adapted to "Does it feel right for a woman to come from a richer family than a man?" if an increasing portion of income is handed down through inheritance!

Barneysmom

hotbanana wrote: »

No of course it isnt right for a woman to earn anything at all.

Women who choose to have children - they already HAVE a career.

Theyve got a career - theyve got the children - theyve got the lot - so what are they complaining about?

Those without children should spend their time to find a man that can provide for them.

I would feel ashamed to have my wife going out to work - she has a career - cleaning the home, raising the children.

She has been entrusted in the most reponsible job in the world and all I hear her complain is she wants to go glass collecting in a pub!

These women who are so selfish to go to work and neglect their children - preferring other people to bring them up. Disgusting.

You are kidding? What about when the children are older, does she have to spend the rest of her life dusting the telly?
You don't seem to realise women have brains and like to use them and make a great contribution to society.

whitewing

I'm female.

When I got a pay rise that took me over my then-live-in-partner's salary, he congratulated me, looked for a new job (we worked for the same company) and dumped me.

Past boyfriends have struggled for me to have a degree and them not.

It is hugely important to my husband to earn a higher salary than me, especially now we have a child.

VfM4meplse

DirtyDick wrote: »

How is 'legitimate' concern different from an illegitimate one, or a tawdry one, or a selfish one?

Your concern is an old-fashioned one, expecting a man to 'keep you', but by no means an illegitimate one. The husband may very well ask the same question of you, why keep a wife who could be out working once the children are at school to enhance the family's income?

How did you make this inference? Consider yoursellf a GMAT fail. I have never been kept by a man, and have sufficient self-respect and contingency to ensure that never happens, whether I work or not. My own view is that enough is as good as a feast, any earnings past a certain income is unnecessary although desirable.

whitewing wrote: »

Past boyfriends have struggled for me to have a degree and them not.

Why did you go out with men of lower educational status??! What were their redeeming factors? Insecurity?

MKB

As someone in a same-sex relationship, no options applied to me, so I just picked a random one in protest. Suggest others do the same.

lobbyludd

I have picked - "it wouldn't ever occur to me" as that is the closest but actually I am most comfortable when my partner and I earn a vaguely comparable salary, within 20-30% of each other. I have been the main (and sole) breadwinner, roughly equivalent, and at one point unemployed for a short period of time with a high earning partner. ALL of these scenarios were uncomfortable, although essentially because they exascerbated other problems within the relationships. So actually: broadly equivalent is my most "comfortable" zone, but it isn't gender specific.

Lilacblue

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

While you're doing such a ridiculous survey, perhaps you'd also like to do a parallel one with the question,

"Does it feel right for a black person to earn more than a white?"

My thoughts exactly -what a stupid poll. Is this 1973?

Katie-Kat-Kins

There isn't an option for "couldn't give a nark"

I'm a woman married to a man, I am the main earner. In fact as my husband is self employed I am sometimes the only earner.

I don't mind as long as we have enough money coming into the household to meet our expenses. I can't say I can vote happy to earn more as that suggests I prefer it that way round when in fact it doesn't matter to me which of us earns most. Obviously it would be very nice if I could keep my current salary and he could earn more than that as well