When you’re filling out that dating profile there’s usually some things you say you’re looking for in your future partner. When you get to that “income” field, what do you write?
Is it important that you make more than your partner? That they make more than you?
The answer depends on your age and gender. More younger men (Gen Z and Millennials) want their partner to make more than them, showing comfort level and gender roles are changing. Meanwhile only 3% of Gen X and Boomer men want their partner to make more than them.
The answers broken down by the single / dating members of each generation:
Answered “My partner should make MORE than me”:
Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|
Baby Boomers | 3% | 18% |
Gen X | 4% | 23% |
Millennials | 20% | 21% |
Gen Z | 7% | 31% |
One possible explanation for the outlier of Millennial men: They are the age where they are seriously considering starting families, buying homes, and in some cases, taking care of their elderly parents.
Gen Z, however, are those born after 1996. The bulk of the generation is in their early twenties and may not yet be tackling those more expensive life milestones.
Other notes on income expectations in the data:
Despite the variances in the numbers above there is one answer that dominates every generation and every gender: “I do not have any expectations for my partner’s income.”
Married couples most often meet monthly to discuss finances (38%) followed by weekly (22%) and quarterly (21%).
25% of women and 20% of men across all generations expect their partners to make more than six figures.
Despite the lack of expectations and demands for six figure salaries, 63% of single / dating respondents said their partner’s financial status was either “very” or “somewhat” important to them.
If you and your partner have a gap in income levels, Monarch Head of Advice Rachel Lawrence shares seven steps to take:
