Just Because She Makes More Money Doesn’t Mean Divorce Is Imminent
Managing the achievement gap in relationships.
A married couple lived adjacent to us in Coronado, California. They were middle aged, always great to be around and could catch you off guard with their humor. Their cars had two opposing bumper stickers. The wife’s car said, “MIT Class of 89". The husband’s said, “High school dropout 1985”.
They were an inexplicable pairing on paper — but the two are still married to this day, having raised two children. The wife was a successful engineer. The husband launched his own small roofing business, which made him a decent living, but nothing compared to his wife’s. Yet I never saw them fighting and they always seemed better off than most married couples I met. The husband's laid back demeanor and quick wit complemented his wife's sharp intellect and precise way of thinking.
And while their relative happiness as a couple is a positive outcome, does it correlate to the general public? The achievement gap in relationships is real and growing. For example, women outpace men in educational attainment by increasing margins. In 1960, the percentage of husbands less educated than their wives was 7.1%. By 1990, it reached 15.9%. By 2015, it reached 25.3%.
