It depends what you mean by "successful".
The successful women I'm around definitely want to marry men who are equal or greater than them in status. Now they may date guys who aren't quite up there but their goal for marriage isn't being with a guy who isn't the bread winner.
BTW... I'm not saying you're lying, I'm just saying successful has many different meanings. And in my experience, a successful woman is not settling for less unless she has low self esteem.
Edit: for example... there are some women I know who have a managerial role, their own place, their own car and think that's success. But you add in the student loan, car note, monthly payment for the rent (not mortgage) and you then see how that 50/60 thousand a year before tax, doesn't leave a lot for disposable income.
Then take my friend whose salary is less than that but he owns his place and car debt free. He has passive income from other businesses. On paper.. his hourly rate isn't enough for the woman in the OP... but he has so much disposable income, he is taking vacations every month.
I have single friends who are highly educated with decent paying careers( paying 60k and above) they do care about being with a man that made significantly less, so I’m not sure what that poster was saying either.
It’s actually not much wrong with $18 an hour if it’s a young single male in his early to mid twenties in a low col city with no debt, kids, and that is frugal. Especially where I live(in Charlotte)...
But the circumstances matter. for my age range that salary means he doesn’t have a trade or a degree, which means he doesn’t have skills that can be transferred in case he lost a job, moved, etc. The chances of stability are more difficult without a degree or trade.
I have a friend who is 37 who met a man a couple of years ago who was making in the 50/60 range at a job, that he got from a friend who knew him. A year later he lost the job. The thing is he has no trade, degree or decent paying skill. So he’s now working one full time job making $18 an hour, and one part time job making like $15. That’s all he could get. He’s 43, with three kids. He doesn’t even have time to date and is pretty tired, and he’s strapped financially. He got lucky with the job he had the year before but in the end, it’s more than just the income that matters.
Women think about wanting families, wanting to get a house with their husband, and other expenses that requires two decent income these days, if they want to live a semblance of middle class life.
I do think women these days are a little more open than in the past to men making a little less, especially if they already make more than enough to live the lives they want already(which is different from making enough to have some of what you want but not having enough to live the lifestyle you want—which is more likely to result in women seeking men that make the same or more to fill in that gap lol).
In any case, I think significant income differences can present issues depending on the people involved.
If a women makes a few dollars more than $18 and they both are single, and young, and he’s a good saver, if she has loans and debts, it equals out, so looking down on his salary is strange but everyone is entitled to their preferences.
But in my age range, even if i factor in loans and debt(in my case isn’t very much tbh) my salary is more than twice $18 an hour and that’s just in one stream of income—(i also get child support and a small stream of passive income added to all of that) so it becomes a very significant difference. On top of the fact that he doesn’t have a trade, skill or degree.
Also not sure why 50/60K is being thrown around as the amount women in managerial roles in corporate offices make. Not sure where y’all live but here in Charlotte 50/60K is actually a low salary for a manager unless they are a store manager or non profit.
