In some marriages, one spouse makes a substantially higher amount of income than the other. Such income inequality can sometimes pose challenges in a marriage. A recent study underscores this. The study indicates that income inequality in a marriage may be connected to increased likelihood of infidelity in a marriage.
The study looked at survey information regarding around 2,800 married individuals. All of these surveyed married individuals were in opposite-sex marriages. Also, all of these individuals were under 32 years of age. The study used the survey data to look at what the cheating likelihood was of married people in different sorts of situations regarding how their income compares to their spouse’s.
The study found that, for both men and women, a married person’s cheating likelihood is generally higher if their spouse makes more than them than if they and their spouse make about the same income. This increase in cheating likelihood is particularly high for men who make less than their wife.
When it came to how making a lot more than their spouse affects a person’s cheating likelihood, the study found that there was a difference between women and men. According to the study, married women who have a much high income-earning-level than their husband tend to have a lower cheating likelihood than married women who make about the same amount as their husband. For married men, on the other hand, earning a lot more than their wife was accompanied by a slight uptick in cheating likelihood, the study found.
Thus, the study indicates that couples that have little to no income inequality tend to have a lower infidelity likelihood.
Do you think income inequality can make infidelity more likely in a marriage? What do you think are some of the biggest challenges income inequality can pose in a marriage? What do you think are the best ways to address such challenges?
Income inequality among a married couple can also pose some challenges if the couple decides to divorce. For one, big income inequalities can sometimes pose some unique challenges when it comes to coming up with a fair property division settlement. Attorneys can help divorcing individuals in all different sorts of income situations with their efforts to reach a fair property division settlement in their divorce from their spouse.