Amanda writes, “Money is an interesting subject. As much as it may be a taboo topic and doesn’t allow for many questions, the fact remains that everybody loves it (or at least needs it), and many of us can be fairly judgy about who has it and who doesn’t. We are products of capitalism, after all, whether we like it or not.
But in relationships, money isn’t just about dollars and cents. It’s about so much more — things that can complicate even the strongest romantic partnerships. “Traditionally speaking, money equals power,” relationship expert Susan Winter tells Insider. “And the one with the power is the one who controls the relationship.”
While it would be nice if relationships could be equal across the board, that’s simply not the case when money is involved. Money’s influence on relationships reaches deep, so much so that it can even affect one partner’s attraction to the other, in both positive and negative ways.
It’s no secret that the gender pay gap is still very much alive and well. As of March 2022, women in the U.S. were earning only 82% of what men earned, having jumped merely two percentage points since 2000, according to the Pew Research Center. This ongoing disparity, especially in the salaries of same-sex couples, just adds fuel to the very powerful fire that is money. If you thought the link between income level and attraction was only something for the movies, you were mistaken. It’s a real-life phenomenon, too, and one that isn’t always pretty.
