# In your heterosexual marriage, who earns more money? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 18, 2018, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-heterosexual-marriage-who-earns-more-money/809051 "2018-02-18T15:52:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-heterosexual-marriage-who-earns-more-money/809051/21 "2018-02-18T22:41:18Z")
My wife and I work for the same institution at the same classification, so we make almost exactly the same salary. We both work 32 hours per week, but she’s going up to full time in a few months, so she’ll make more. Together we have a comfortable middle class lifestyle. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-heterosexual-marriage-who-earns-more-money/809051/22 "2018-02-18T22:47:59Z")
My wife makes a lot more than I ever did. I’m very proud and supportive of her. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-heterosexual-marriage-who-earns-more-money/809051/23 "2018-02-18T23:21:30Z")
While I was married my wife made zero and I didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-heterosexual-marriage-who-earns-more-money/809051/24 "2018-02-18T23:24:10Z")
We made exactly the same (or I made more) through our post docs. Then he decided to go into industry and I went into academia. I make less, but I comfort myself that’s it’s a 9 mon salary (so extrapolated it’s more) and my employee benefit paid for my son’s college tuition. Plus my flexible summers saved a ton on camps and daycare when the kids were small. But there is no industry vs academia comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-heterosexual-marriage-who-earns-more-money/809051/25 "2018-02-18T23:52:01Z")
I’ve always earned more. It’s never been an issue. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-heterosexual-marriage-who-earns-more-money/809051/26 "2018-02-19T00:11:34Z")
She makes more than me and will probably continue to do so. I couldn’t care less. I don’t wish I made more than her, I just wish I made more. Hell, I wish SHE made more. You know what? Let’s just both make more ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-heterosexual-marriage-who-earns-more-money/809051/27 "2018-02-19T00:14:44Z")
At the moment my wife makes a lot more than I do. A few years ago, I made a lot more than she did. Things change. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-heterosexual-marriage-who-earns-more-money/809051/28 "2018-02-19T00:21:52Z")
During most of our marriage, I’ve earned more than my husband, sometimes by a lot. But it never really mattered - all income got dumped into a single account and all bills were paid from that account. I don’t know how he felt about it, but I never really cared either way. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-heterosexual-marriage-who-earns-more-money/809051/29 "2018-02-19T00:29:31Z")
It’s been sort of back and forth - but when he’s earned more than me, it’s been a smaller difference than when I’ve earned more than him, so overall I’m ahead. But it doesn’t matter really - it all goes into the same accounts and gets spent by both of us. And I know he doesn’t mind- why would he? If I earned less than him our income would be significantly lower, and who wants that? ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-heterosexual-marriage-who-earns-more-money/809051/30 "2018-02-19T00:43:34Z")
I always made more than my wife. For about 15 years she was a SAHM and made 0. Even after she worked she made much less than me. Of my children, one son is married to a SAHM; the second is outearned by his physician wife by a fair amount; my daughter used to make more than her husband, but his income has gone up considerably while her job turned awful when they were taken over by another company and she quit 9 days ago. She says they can afford for her to be out of work for a while. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-heterosexual-marriage-who-earns-more-money/809051/31 "2018-02-19T01:52:48Z")
The only time any of my wives (over 60 years) ever worked at all was two years as expats when she was the breadwinner in a demand profession. For the past 30 years, we’ve lived on my Social Security. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-heterosexual-marriage-who-earns-more-money/809051/32 "2018-02-19T02:04:31Z")
Mrs. Guest and I are about equal, some years I make a little more, some years she makes a little more. I keep trying to convince her to look for higher paying work, so that I can quit working, but she like what she does. Sigh, I wanna be a kept man. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-heterosexual-marriage-who-earns-more-money/809051/33 "2018-02-19T02:25:35Z")
Male in a hetero marriage here. I’ve always earned more than my wife, then again she was in high school when we started dating 😁 She’s been home with kids for the last almost 13 years, although she did have a startup for the last 18 months that she recently walked away from since it wasn’t working out. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-heterosexual-marriage-who-earns-more-money/809051/34 "2018-02-19T02:27:42Z")
Currently my wife by about 3x. In other years in the past me by as much as 4x. Sometimes her by 5x. It really has flopped back and forth over the past 40+ years. If you equate it over time and rule out things like personal investments and some luck here and there, she may have a slight life-time lead over me. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-heterosexual-marriage-who-earns-more-money/809051/35 "2018-02-19T03:05:59Z")
When we first got married, I was just starting a new career while my wife was settled in hers, so she made more. Then I got established, and for many years who made more changed almost every year. Now we’re both retired, but she has a much better pension. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-heterosexual-marriage-who-earns-more-money/809051/36 "2018-02-19T03:40:23Z")
My gf makes way more than I do. She works in advertising. When we first met, I thought “works in advertising” meant she was a secretary. I used to grab every check, figurging I probably made at least double what she did. One day I found out that “works in advertising” meant V.P. with a big agency. She brings home 2.5X what I do. I leave the occasional check for her. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-heterosexual-marriage-who-earns-more-money/809051/37 "2018-02-19T05:44:07Z")
I went with “about equal” because I’m not actually sure. I have a higher salary, but my wife gets a housing allowance and I don’t, so once that’s added in she would earn more. But then there’s health care and retirement and … So like I said, I’m not sure. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-heterosexual-marriage-who-earns-more-money/809051/38 "2018-02-19T05:52:10Z")
> [@Emiliana](#): > > I’ve always earned more. It’s never been an issue. That would be more useful to the question at hand if you told us if you were the man or the woman. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-heterosexual-marriage-who-earns-more-money/809051/39 "2018-02-19T10:09:28Z")
My wife makes more than me, I supported her in getting a postgrad degree and also was a stay-at-home dad for a few years - I freelanced but not full-time. ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-heterosexual-marriage-who-earns-more-money/809051/40 "2018-02-19T11:15:39Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > That would be more useful to the question at hand if you told us if you were the man or the woman. As indicated by my name, I’m a woman. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-heterosexual-marriage-who-earns-more-money/809051.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-heterosexual-marriage-who-earns-more-money/809051.md?page=3)