More men get economic boost from marriage

[superconnected]

Source: AP

NEW YORK (AP) - Historically, marriage was the surest route to financial security for women. Nowadays it's men who are increasingly getting the biggest economic boost from tying the knot, according to a new analysis of census data.

The changes, summarized in a Pew Research Center report being released Tuesday, reflect the proliferation of working wives over the past 40 years - a period in which American women outpaced men in both education and earnings growth. A larger share of today's men, compared with their 1970 counterparts, are married to women whose education and income exceed their own, and a larger share of women are married to men with less education and income.

"From an economic perspective, these trends have contributed to a gender role reversal in the gains from marriage," wrote the report's authors, Richard Fry and D'Vera Cohn.

"In the past, when relatively few wives worked, marriage enhanced the economic status of women more than that of men. In recent decades, however, the economic gains associated with marriage have been greater for men."

Read more: http://www.komonews.com/news/national/82011477.html

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I've always made more than they guys I've dated. Even when we've done the same job.

[villager]

1. well, maybe, But then it all blows up, and the women get the house.

At least, in my own experience... ;-)

[FreakinDJ]

2. Can't wait for women to start paying Alimony

duck and cover

[Gidney N Cloyd]

3. A woman on my staff is going to have to pay alimony and give up part of her pension.

She's working, he's a retiree and he's the one asking for the divorce.

[WriteDown]

4. I've heard rare cases of that....

It's wild.

[superconnected]

11. My mother did - back in the '70's. It's not uncommon. Just like women paying

child support happens all the time. The thing is, alimony for either partner isn't often in divorces now a days.

[raccoon]

14. In my experience, in the vast majority of divorces, nobody gets any alimony.

CHild support, yes. Alimony, no.

[onehandle]

5. I make more money than my wife, but she has been employed more steadily than I. nt

[Carni]

6. Closing this thread before the husband sees it...

YIKES! He'll be trading me in for a new more affluent model!

[ShamelessHussy]

7. lol

:rofl:

[GinaMaria]

8. economic freedom for women means we can marry for love

not money. Interesting how our choices have changed once we were able to earn our own and take money out of the equation. This new trend is true at my house, but I married someone younger than me. I've been in the workforce longer. I married for love and true partnership. I never wanted to end up like my mother. Economic freedom for women was the key to equality in marriage at least in my view. I think it worked out better for the men too at least I hope it did. Who wants to be viewed as a wallet?

Peace everyone

[Hannah Bell]

17. always could. or marry for money. which people continue to do.

or for a muddled combination of both, which is what most people do, since they typically marry into their own class.

[happyslug]

9. Nothing new, men have always benefited more from marriage then women

Studies I read as early as the late 1970s indicated men benefited more economically from marriage then women did (At that time, the late 1970-early 1980s) men gained economic advantages for being married, women broke even at best.

I don't have reference for that study (I read it in the 1980s but kept no copies, remember that is all pre-net) but the results indicated women actually gave up economically to be married. Thus this is nothing new, just a slight change do to the decline in relative income of men compared to women (Women still, on the average make less then men, but the difference has dropped since the 1980s) more then any real change.

[PacerLJ35]

10. This may be the case in some instances

I've been married and divorced twice. I put both of them through school (one through graduate, the other through undergrad). Every year during tax time, they'd get the money, I never saw it. First wife worked until the last couple years of our marriage, when she went to school. Second wife never worked, just went to school. I paid for much of their tuition (partly because second wife always botched her financial aid package). During the divorces, I had to pay for their cars, I had to pay for the house until it was sold and then split the profit (despite the fact she never paid a dime on the mortgage). I pay my first wife almost $1,900 a month in child support, and for the first year she got an additional $1,100 a month in alimony (at the time, child support was $1,500 a month, for a grand total of $2,600 until her 12 months of temporary spousal support ended). I don't pay my second ex anything because we never had children, but in both divorces I was awarded all of the joint debt, and I am paying for her student loans (in addition to her car, plus I pay 100% of our timeshare and she gets to use it every other year).

For what it's worth, I'm not "rich". When I got divorced the first time (she left me, saying she didn't like living in Texas...after cheating on me as well) I was making about $75K a year. The second divorce which happened last fall I was making about $95K a year. A fairly decent salary, but I'm not moneybags.

In both cases, they left the marriage with free cars, educations, tons of clothes, nearly all the furniture/dishes/housewares, and I was left moving into a 2 bedroom apartment, a futon as a couch, and Walmart "fake furniture" (the kind that's made out of particle board), plus about a week's worth of clothes since I never had a budget while married to buy any.

So while I won't discount that some (or even many) men benefit from marriage, I'd have to say my particular experience, and that of several other friends of mine, seems to point in the other direction...

Oh, and insult to injury...because retirements are considered "property", the judge ordered that I would have to pay my first ex half of my retirement from the military. I countered stating that since we're doing the half-n-half thing I should get some of hers, especially since I put her through school...the short answer from the court...NO. So my ex will retire living off her full retirement plus half of mine...and I'll get half a retirement.

Yep, I sure did win big there!!!!

[superconnected]

12. You need a way better lawyer.

[WriteDown]

13. Ouch!

That is a horrible story!

[seabeyond]

15. my husband puts money into 401k for retirement. damn straight i would get half of that

also he works and i do everything else. there is nothing left for him to do. allowing him to focus all time and energy on work. allowing advancement and worth in company. when he owned own business, allowed him to make the huge profit when he sold. (not to mention other benefits not going to bother listing)

yes... it is mine too.

[WriteDown]

16. "Now I ain't sayin' she's a golddigger...." nt