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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Lots of resentment going on [/quote]
Always wondered about this. Didn't these men have the same work ethic and income potential as when these women chose to marry them?[/quote]

Maybe, maybe not.  My wife makes more than I do. Not a huge amount, like 20% more, and it doesn't bother me at all.  In fact if given the choice I'd always choose for my wife to make more than me - assuming my salary stays constant in any potential scenario, if my wife makes more than me the end result is always going to be more money for our family, why would I want less money?

Anyway, my wife and I started out with very similar work ethic and income potential. We were both at entry level jobs at nonprofits when we got married and were both on pretty much the same track.  About a year after we got married I got offered a federal government position that totally changed the course of my career.  It was a big initial raise but had no real growth potential, but the job is incredibly fun and satisfying and has very relaxed requirements.  I get to travel to interesting places where I put on fun events, and when I'm at the office I only have enough actual work to take up maybe 20% of my day.  I had every intention of moving up the ladder when I started my career, but now I'm in a very stable, very enjoyable, very easy job that while it'll never make me rich, it provides enough money to meet my needs. At this point I really have no desire to give up such a cushy position just for more money.

My wife, on the other hand, became a rising star at her nonprofit, basically running her entire department behind the scenes, then she got recruited by another organization where she became a Director and actually had her own department by the age of 28. She works very hard, (for the nonprofit world) usually 10 hours a day and she still brings home work at night and on the weekends. She doesn't make that much more than me because her organization is small and doesn't pay well, but she's working with headhunters to get another Director position at a much larger organization and if she is successful she will probably make double what I do.

So yeah, we started out with very similar ambition, but along the way ambitions change.  I have no desire to trade a fun and stress-free job for more money and she has no desire to stagnate. It works out great because she gets to satisfy her ambitions and will hopefully soon be able to bring in enough money for us to have the fancy lifestyle that she aspires to, and I get to contribute with all the free time I get, doing stuff like getting shopping done, doing projects around the house, standing in line to get hot concert tickets or reservations to fancy restaurants, and that sort of thing.

There's definitely no resentment aside from some good natured joking about how I never have to do anything at work.  [/quote]

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