Does your husband make less money than you? Does your wife have a higher income? If you are a husband or wife who answered yes to either of these questions, your spouse's income may be hurting your marriage. When thinking about the circumstances that may potentially lead to divorce in Georgia, a spouse's income may not seem like the most detrimental factor in a marriage. However, the amount of income your spouse earns in relation to your own income, may be a contributing factor to your spouse's marital dissatisfaction.
Although it may not be entirely politically correct to say, who brings home the bacon really does matter. According to a study conducted in 2009 by Cornell University entitled "The Impact of Relative Earnings Among Dual-Earner Couples on Career Satisfaction and Family Satisfaction," men feel more family and marital satisfaction when they earn more money than their spouse. Alternatively, when a husband earns less money than their spouse, they may feel unhappy in their marriage and act accordingly. The findings of this study with regards to men are buttressed by information from the American Sociological Association. According to the ASA, a man whose wife is the sole earner, is five times more likely to cheat on her than a man whose wife earns about the same as him.
The same principle applies to women, but in reverse. According to the same study, wives who earn more money than their husbands are significantly more likely to experience marital dissatisfaction than wives whose husbands are the primary breadwinners. However, wives may be less likely to indicate their dissatisfaction to their husbands in order to avoid confrontation or potentially emasculating their husbands. And, as is often the case with a failure to communicate within a marriage, this lack of communication, coupled with the frustration caused by the economic dynamic of the marriage may ultimately result in divorce.