Power and Money
Many men with greater earning power than their wives or girlfriends will subtly — or not so subtly — use that distinction as a basis for asserting more overall power in the relationship. They may act as though their larger salary gives them a voting advantage when it comes to decisions — spending or otherwise. Once this power dimension takes hold, relationship inequality can result. Sociologists have long known that relationship inequality, particularly large imbalances of power, tends to promote unhappiness in the less “powerful” partner.