Marriage for Money or Love?

Do women still marry for money? Or has true love become the ultimate pursuit?

Check out this Newsweek article about a new book that asks exactly that question. The book titled, Smart Girls Marry Money, by Elizabeth Ford, a news producer, and Daniela Drake, a physician, argues that despite the gains women have made in the last few decades, they still earn considerably less than men and therefore, a husband's paycheck is still critical.

I would say that no one should ever marry just for money, but it is undeniable that finances do play a large role in marriage. Not only in terms of tax benefits that one gets for being married, but how money is handled between couples can often make or break a marriage. Should money be the ultimate marriage pursuit? No. Does money often matter in a marriage? Yes.

Take a look at this excerpt from the article, Love Me, Love My Bank Account and leave your thoughts in the comments:

In the last couple of centuries, as women have gained more financial and legal autonomy, the idea of romantic love has played a greater role in the choice. That's reinforced by popular culture, which celebrates the idea of soulmates miraculously finding each other. As women have been able to earn more, researchers have found that the importance of a man's earning power in this equation appears to have declined somewhat. In their own admittedly unscientific survey, Ford and Drake say they found the same thing: "Our survey of women in their twenties revealed that most have no preference for a man with money . . . Some girls even said they would go for a subordinate 'if he was cute'." For lower-income women, though, money is still critical. One recent study of single mothers, for example, concluded that many would have married the father of their children-if he'd had a job. But a man without a paycheck? No way. Many studies have also shown that couples fight more about money than about any other single issue (including sex or how to raise the kids), and that's even more true in times of economic difficulty, like now.

Ideally, of course, we would all marry men who keep our hearts and our bank accounts overflowing with joy. If that describes your marriage, great. If not, Ford and Drake's advice might be worth listening to—as an antidote to all the overly sentimental views of marriage that surround us. "Falling in love does feel good," they say, "but the problems arise when we make it our number one priority." That's probably not a message June brides want to hear right now, but at least a few will probably wish they had once the honeymoon's over.I