When She Makes More

10 Rules for Couples with a Woman Who Makes More Money

Women who earn more money than their partners or husbands face several relationship challenges. Traditional gender roles affect marriage, divorce and even the number of hours people work. Couples in which the women earned more were less likely to marry, less likely to be happy and more likely to cheat. Such couples may find a better balance if they heed these 10 rules:

1. “Face the Facts”

A woman who outearns her male partner is more likely to remain single or to have a rocky marriage, “to feel pressured to work less and to get divorced.” Such marriages are also more at risk of “infidelity on both sides.” Men who depend on their female partners’ salaries are five times more likely to cheat than men who earn equivalent salaries. These issues are pervasive, because “women under the age of 30 have a higher median income than men in nearly every major city” in the United States.

Consider two different breadwinning women, Carmen and Michelle. They “look at their husbands and think the exact same thing: What do I need you for?” Carmen was already thinking about divorce; Michelle was not. Relationship expert...