Marriage and Money: Partnership Is What Matters Most

This hub is based on a question that I asked in the question section. You responded overwhelmingly to the question: In a marriage, does the man (husband) have to be the main money earner? More than thirty responses poured in. I believe it is important that I share the results because you felt so strongly about the question. Responses came from both married and single people. I know this because I read your profiles – although all did not indicate their marital status. A few Hubbers expressed themselves very well, which I will share who they are in a moment.The majority of the responses indicated that a marriage is a partnership and that the financial responsibility rests with both. Certain factors determine the level of financial support of either spouse:

1. Ability
2. Education
3. Occupation
4. Culture - Era
5. Non traditional thinking

Less popular responses to the question are (the main money earner):

1. It does not matter
2. Matters to the man
3. The Man should be the main money earner

I want to get back to your responses and go one by one and discuss the five determining factors taken into consideration to handle the financial matters of the family.

Ability

In order to earn a living, we all must have a skill or ability. Ability is they type of skill we have to accomplish an outcome. We all wish we could have the ability of a great athlete, celebrity or superstar. But we know that there are only a small percentage of people who have ability to reach stardom. In a marriage, the more ability you have combined, the greater chance of income earning you have. Each partner must learn something. Learning is a part of growth. Ability creates a force in the marriage that drives your destination. Complacency only leads to death.

Education

Education refers to the level of education attained. Have you graduated high school, college, post-graduate degree or doctoral degree? Have you gone to trade school or a professional school? Education is a tool to become more knowledgeable about a particular subject that you are interested in. Since education can be delivered in several formats, there is no excuse for lack of education. There are online classes, elearning, distance learning, teleseminars, teleconferences and face-to-face learning. You can go to trade school, community college, four-year college or university, master’s program and doctoral studies.

Occupation

How important is occupation in a marriage? When you married, did you take into consideration the occupation that your spouse chose? I think this is very important. If you are thinking about marriage, do you even know what your potential spouse occupation is or even desires to be? Most important, are you and your spouse working on improving their occupation. In our recent economy, many employees have been downsized, layed-off and fired from their jobs. Many small businesses have shut down and large corporations have cut back. Many people have had to reinvent themselves. Find new jobs and refocus their future plans.

Do you know what your career options? Now is time for new learning and retraining. What have you always wanted to do? Your career decision highly impacts your marriage. No one wants to be married to an unmotivated unambitious individual. Marriage is for people who want to grow together and change the world with their ability. I know of many couples that have similar lines of careers: business, teachers, lawyers, law enforcement agents and preachers. Having similar fields of interest can make for a stronger bond. I am not saying that you cannot have different kinds of careers to have a successful marriage. It is something to think about. If you have been married for many years now, you might want to come together and team up for increased earning potential. Ever thought about working on the same project? Then there is the traditional occupation thinker, ladies must be nurses and men must be police officers. Think again.

Culture

I grew up in a home where my mom was a Homemaker; in it’s true sense of the word. She cooked breakfast for my dad as he went off to work. She also made his lunch. He worked in a factory for many years. Many of her girlfriends did the same thing as she. They stayed home, raised the children and took care of the needs of the house – cooking, cleaning, washing and taking care of husband. My dad was the chief of the house – he made most of the money. My mom worked a few odd jobs, and was skilled. So I learned by example the role of a mother and father at home. I think the notion that we can not live on one income is invalid, because many families did years ago. We want more material things today, we desire more. We have access to more stuff.

Non-traditional Thinking

Many hubbers expressed that the old way of thinking is not acceptable today. The man does not have to be the breadwinner; in fact, many male hubbers welcome their wives to make more money than they. In fact, it was bogerk who received the most votes; Wayne Brown and GetFitRight gave some very insightful responses that were well thought out.  All responses are appreciated.

_{Let me know your thoughts and Vote Up if you like this Hub!}