The gender wage gap may be closing at least for some people in Florida, and this may be seen by many as a good thing. However, does the amount of income a wife contributes to the household affect the relationship she has with her partner? One study examined this issue, and its findings may be especially significant when it comes to a high net worth divorce.
Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, around 38% of married women in the U.S. have a higher income than their spouses. In fact, the Pew Research Center reports that of cohabitating couples in the U.S., in approximately one-third of those couples, women contribute 50% or more of the household earnings. This is significant, as it may a sign that women are increasingly being treated equally in the workplace.
However, one 2016 study reports that when a woman has a higher income than her husband and her husband doesn’t have a full-time job, the couple faces a 33% higher chance that their marriage will end in divorce. So, while attitudes allowing for the employment and advancement of women in the workplace in the U.S. may be improving, for some couples, traditional gender norms persist.
Of course, not every marriage in which the wife earns more than her husband will end in divorce. However, when couples are not on the same page when it comes to expectations of what they will contribute to the household, it can cause friction.
Some couples can overcome these issues, but others cannot. Since income disparity can be especially significant in a high net worth divorce, it is important that divorcing spouses understand their rights, particularly when it comes to asset division and spousal support, two issues that could impact the lifestyle a spouse will live post-divorce.