Do you believe women have higher income standards now?

Icy_Ad_4544 · 2025-12-26T23:14:13+00:00

The world has higher income standards now unfortunately. Especially if you live in a HCOL area. Young women with little life experience don’t really quite grasp the reality of what the average income is when someone is fresh out of college or just starting out in their career.

When I was in my 20s it was pretty much understood that your 20s would be a period of financial struggle. Now people think they are going to be making 250K and have their dream job immediately. I’ve had to train many fresh grads and watch them melt down when reality hits them. 🙃

So, as much as I am called a “man hater” on this sub - this is something I agree with the men about.

5tupidest · 2025-12-27T00:31:59+00:00

I cannot describe my despair whenever I see people form broad opinions based on SOCIAL MEDIA interactions. There exist social scientists whose whole job is to try to answer these questions.. finding their opinions would be wise.

Suspicious_Glove7365 · 2025-12-26T23:16:04+00:00

A small minority of women earn $150k+. And most people marry within their own income class.

Bouldershoulders12 · 2025-12-26T23:13:54+00:00

so many women are earning elite incomes

That is a lie. Only 18% of US adults (man + women) earn 6 figures or higher.

Men earn a higher median salary than women across all races .

Women only focus on people at the top because of hypergamy . They also tend to focus on anecdotal experiences or their circle as opposed to the reality . Most of these think pieces are by UMC white liberal women obviously to them $150k would seem meh but when you use actual numbers their argument holds no weight.

Your point is true however that the more successful a woman is educationally and earnings wise the more she prices herself out of a partner because she commands more than her SMV will allow. Hypergamy means she wants a guy at least at her level socio economically or higher . The problem is that small pool of men have access to women who could potentially have a higher SMV and may be on his program . Contrary to what most ppl think most men do actually marry women on average in their same social class but men have a longer window than women and are more willing to take someone with a lower salary for better looks and cooperation.

But it isn’t as extreme as the McDonald’s analogy a lot of red pill guys use. It’s just to prove the point.

shadowrangerfs · 2025-12-27T00:17:02+00:00

I think it's just the women who are high earners themselves. You make 65k so it's gonna be easier for you to get women who make less than you. A woman who is making 45k or less is going to feel like she really lucked up by getting you. A woman who makes 150k would see you as "dating down".

But in general, the world is just more expensive now so people have higher income requirements in general. Just because they have to.

anna_alabama · 2025-12-26T23:32:57+00:00

I think women as a whole have higher income standards, because they themselves are making more money and they realize how much it costs to have a good life these days. Women who grew up with wealth are overwhelmingly the kind of girls that guys want, and they have even higher income standards than the average woman. Like straight up the vast majority of guys will never earn enough to get the kind of girl they want. I was raised with money and I would never put myself in a situation where I don’t have it, so that eliminates a ton of guys right off the bat. So it’s a two-fold issue

Capital_Capsicum · 2025-12-27T03:07:14+00:00

With today's cost of living, you need two full time earners to have ends meet.

It used to be that a woman needed a man to support her, while she didn't earn, or earned little. Now a woman still needs a man to support her (and visa versa) while they both earn full wages.

Ug, how did we all let it get like this?

jorts-enthusiast · 2025-12-27T00:22:09+00:00

If you think most women are earning 150k a year, you are very, very wrong

TheOneWhoThinketh · 2025-12-26T23:14:48+00:00

Since women no longer need men for a variety of things that they used to before, what they select for in a partner has become narrower and narrower. The problem is, women's selection bias is a "yes, but" rather than a "yes, and". So earning less than they expect you to can be a disqualifying factor that cannot be compensated for in other ways.

The other obvious problem is social media leading to women judging their partners in comparison to the highest standards of their peer group. Not only do they not want a man who can't compete with them, they want a partner who can keep up with all their friends and their friends' partners also, or rather the idealized lives of their "friends" that they see on social media. Less and less women are satisfied with a lfestyle that they wouldn't feel good about sharing on social media.

NoDanaOnlyZuuI · 2025-12-27T00:46:01+00:00

Income stopped mattering when women started earning their own money. That’s when likability became more important. When we don’t need you, we need to want you, and we need to like you to want you.

AutoModerator · 2025-12-26T21:00:36+00:00

Attention!

You can post off topic/jokes/puns as a comment to this Automoderator message.
For "Debate" and "Question for X" Threads: Parent comments that aren't from the target group will be removed, along with their child replies.
If you want to agree with OP instead of challenging their view or if the question is not targeted at you, post it as an answer to this comment.
OP you can choose your own flair according to these guidelines., just press Flair under your post!

Thanks for your cooperation and enjoy the discussion!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

free_da_guys1107 · 2025-12-27T00:12:50+00:00

I could care less about their income requirements. They not getting any of it unless we're married.

Life_Door1131 · 2025-12-27T00:19:47+00:00

obviously, because women can make their own money now. But not only that. Greed is apart of human nature. So people always want more. It's just that you need more, because they already have more. And want EVEN MORE

bluestjuice · 2025-12-27T03:35:54+00:00

I assume this varies widely depending on location and the type of women one is pursuing. If you are in a HCOL city and dating educated, professional women with a lucrative career in front of them, their pool of potential dates is probably similarly-positioned men, so yes, I would guess their income expectations are higher than in the past.

However, in the US $60k is past the 50th percentile of earners I believe, so there are absolutely lots of people who would be fine with that as an income level. If you are open to dating working-class women there should be loads of contenders.

mashedturnip · 2025-12-27T05:24:43+00:00

Livid-Log7463 · 2025-12-27T10:27:51+00:00

Women have a higher standard for everything now so it stands to reason income will be included there, of course there will be a level of forgiveness for otherwise exceptional traits as always.

Pathosgrim · 2025-12-27T14:34:44+00:00

Yes they do, all due to hypergamy and the state of affairs of the world. Nature and nurture has led to this outcome. Just imagine how chaotic it will be when AI takes jobs and unemployment rises.

jimmothyhendrix · 2025-12-27T15:29:58+00:00

GenZ men are falling behind, largely due to systemic factors totally out of their control.

I know some women have crazy standards, but the problem is more average expectations which are unrealistic given our context. A guy earning enough to carry the weight of a family or afford luxury expenses is harder to pull off than it has previously been, and it seems women don't understand it.

Women also earn more, which they wanted, but still expect the men they date to earn more despite that standard being harder to achieve due to their new position in society.

DividePleasant6838 · 2025-12-28T14:45:17+00:00

When men look at low-earning women, they usually don’t think of them as ‘low-earning women’. They look at other forms of value the woman provides, through nurture, support, household management or parenting.

Women need to start looking at men the same way. And men need to start developing and improving those traits.

growframe · 2025-12-26T23:23:10+00:00

Income standards don't exist. Looks and sociability are the only things that matter.

toasterchild · 2025-12-27T00:42:01+00:00

I think most women now are pretty fine dating someone who makes less than they do. I know quite a few dating women and none of them ever mention money as an issue unless the guy is basically unemployed.

Now if you are into gold diggers and superficial women they definitely want higher incomes than ever before. I know a handful of these types and they always seem so miserable and never fulfilled. If you keep running into this sort of woman your picker might be off or you might live in the wrong neighborhood.

Fan_Service_3703 · 2025-12-26T23:23:51+00:00

Never caused a serious problem for me, and I've dated a fair few girl boss types.

Also born and raised in an area with a lot of unemployed no-hoper men (who very much did not look like 'Chad') who had no problems getting laid.

InterestingGoose5507 · 2025-12-27T00:44:54+00:00

They have no income standards for Chad or Tyrone! If income is a requirement, she sees you as Beta Buxx

InkAddict718 · 2025-12-27T01:01:24+00:00

Yes. Women are hypergamous. No matter how much she earns, she wants a man who makes more

glowy97 · 2025-12-26T23:44:48+00:00

They definitely do because women make more now. I make more than most men I know. I wear a fake wedding ring so men don’t talk to me because I know they don’t meet my standards. Men my age that make as much as me (28) are complete dorks with no personality/virgins or scammers or other sketchy shit and I’m not interested in any of it. I also don’t want to date anyone that’s more than 5 years older than me. I also hate kids more than anything on the planet. I just assume I’m going to be single forever 😂 I’m more than okay with it because thankfully I was born into an amazing family who’s super close and have nice girlfriends and a sister to do stuff with 👯‍♀️🤗 Dating is honestly the last thing on my mind because I know my standards are high. I wouldn’t date anyone that wasn’t my match. Like my twin. Same looks and income as me.

Bassist57 · 2025-12-26T23:39:49+00:00

Yes, watch the Whatever podcast. Some of those income requirements are insane!

selfishstars · 2025-12-27T02:33:25+00:00

Most people date/marry within their class because proximity and shared material conditions shape who we interact with. But we live in a society where our survival and wellbeing are tied to income. This creates incentives for people to “marry up”.

Under patriarchal capitalism, women are valued for appearance and fertility, and men are valued for providing resources and status. So when women “marry up,” it’s a rational response to a system that ties women’s economic security to men’s earnings more tightly than the other way around.

But there are poorer men who date/marry wealthier women (or would if they could) for economic reasons. It’s just less socially acceptable to talk about it that way because “men should be providers” is still the dominant narrative.

Currently, it doesn’t make economic sense for a woman to partner with a man who earns less than she does unless he genuinely makes her life easier in ways that matter. Things like emotional support, fair division of labour, real partnership at home. If she’s working full-time and also carrying most of the domestic and emotional labour, then her life is being made harder by partnering with a man.

And what happens from there is that she becomes chronically stressed and burns out. Her sex drive takes a dive. Her attraction to her partner lessens because if you’re always care-taking someone, you start to feel more like their mother than their partner. When you ask him to help, he tells you you’re nagging. When you aren’t interested in sex, he’ll blame you, pressure you, and there’s a good chance he will cheat and/or leave you.

TL;DR: Relationships are material arrangements as much as emotional ones. People make choices based on what helps them live better, not just what looks good on paper.

mlo9109 · 2025-12-26T23:37:41+00:00

Income? No. Lifestyle influenced by social media? Yes. But I'd argue all genders are equally guilty. See all the UMC men whining about the financial clock as they waste women's biological clock.

Meanwhile, unemployed crackheads are breeding like bunnies. I've considered taking up a crack habit so I can finally have a family. People's priorities are messed up. I saw so much of this teaching at a title 1 school.

You can raise a kid in an apartment. Your kid doesn't need the latest iGadget, Jordans, or an annual Disney trip. They also need food and clothing more than you need your vice of choice or hair/nails done.

LolaPaloz · 2025-12-27T01:19:31+00:00

Inflation. I don't think anyone is seriously asking for 150k flat out for just hanging out/having fun, but to have a family, I think ppl earning 60k each parent with 2 kids are already are in a crunch. 150k expectations sounds like a woman who wants to be a stay at home mom. So the total income is similar to the 60k each couple who still need to scrimp and save too to make it work.

Depends if Ur living in a major city or not.

empireofadhd · 2025-12-27T02:50:49+00:00

The distributions have moved around but it does not mean it always translates to lived experiences.

Mens salaries as a group have been stagnating or dropping a bit. The super high earners these women tend to look for have probably increased their earnings. The guys working middle or lower income jobs have lost income especially in rural areas where industries moved out.

Women have gained a lot of income in the past 40 years as they got better degrees. Also women tend to have an easier time getting service jobs which is more common among younger people. This means that in bigger cities younger women (below 30) now sometimes out earn men in the same group. However the moment women start having kids their earnings drop like an stone and they are back at 1970 level income inequality.

So to help both genders: more should be done to help women earn more during and after childbirth.

For men it’s more to help the bottom 30-40% with education and landing those first jobs. Also increase the perceived social status on jobs which is a problem when dating (women tend to look down on blue collar workers).

At least in Europe we now have a situation where women are ”ok” (statistically) with having a higher degree/education then their men. But they reject men who have lower income then them. So it does have an impact which is sad.

Generally not having an income hurts men way more then women without jobs when it comes to dating. Having a family and a spouse is a major aspect to life so I think it’s important not to brush it off as ”we can’t do anything about it” and ”who cares” like some feminists like to do.

Obvious_Smoke3633 · 2025-12-27T10:52:33+00:00

I think most women want a man in their earning bracket or slightly higher. For example, if I'm making $65k, I'd be looking for a guy in the $65-$80k range. He would just absolutely need to be a good cook and tidy person to live with. Neither of us would be making "stay at home wife" or "hire a maid/personal chef" money.

ThatBitchA · 2025-12-26T23:22:13+00:00

If a man earning 60-70k isn't meeting the bar, than they aren't in the same socioeconomic bracket. Either she way out earns him, as is double the income. Or there's other reasons beyond income that he isn't meeting the bar.

A man who earns 60-70k and thinks that's enough reason for him to be in a relationship is going to struggle finding a relationship.

The world is more expensive now. Everyone has higher income standards.

If a man doesn't have a higher standard for himself, why would a woman trust that he'll have a higher standard for her.

Title	Do you believe women have higher income standards now?
Author	Equivalent_Use_5024
Upvotes	14
Comments	125
Date	December 26, 2025 9:00 PM UTC (6 months ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/PurplePillDebate
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/PurplePillDebate/comments/1pwew92/do_you_believe_women_have_higher_income_standards/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/PurplePillDebate/do-you-believe-women-have-higher-income-standards.1569745 https://theredarchive.com/post/1569745

Comments