To the Ladies, How important is a mans income.

I don’t care how rich he is, as long as there is enough money (combined with mine) to support us and or a family.

it doesn’t matter to me, when my boyfriend and i started dating he wasn’t making any money whatsoever because it was a bad season for concrete finishers. now, we live together and he is making good money and it helps a lot. but on a scale of importance from 1 to 5, it’s about a 2.5 with me.

Zero. Irrelevant.

If a guy is having money troubles, the reason behind that is relevant. Is it due to lack of ambition, lack of judgment, bad luck, circumstances, or a conscious decision to trade off salary for something more important?

I think it is more important that a man be satisfied and challenged by the job he has, rather than making a lot of money.

However, from past relationships, I have found that many men do not feel “sucessful” unless they are making a significant amount of money. Many men feel pressure to be the “bread winner” of their family, a perception that I have seen lead to many fights in couples.

I personally would rather have a man that is happy each day when he comes home from work, instead of one who is unhappy and stressed.

I have dated all kinds. I dated a contract programmer during the tech boom who made five times what I did. I dated a homeless guy who had to bum money for beer. In both cases I dated based on the guy himself, not what he made.

That said, I have a distinct preference for someone with an income. He doesn’t have to be rich (in fact, it would be awkward if he made a whole lot more than I do), but I like someone who can pull his own weight, afford his rent or mortgage, and split the grocery bill or take turns paying when we go out. It’s kind of a drag to be the Sugar Mama, but I don’t mind paying my share if we’re both in it together.

I think once you’re through your twenties it would be nice if you made enough to pay the rent or mortgage on a decent place, own a reliable car, and plan for retirement. This doesn’t have to be a huge number, but living like a college student starts to be a turnoff for women when their own careers come together. I’m having a hard time with this currently, as the bad economy is affecting my SO. I hope I can be graceful through the struggles, because he deserves my support, not my judgment.

For me, I think income is fairly important. Financial disagreements/uncertainty breaks up a lot of relationships/marriages. It’s nice if both parties are able to equally contribute to the running of a household. Or, if there is an imbalance, they both need to address it directly and make sure both are comfortable with it.

Don’t forget about credit as well. I’d never be with a guy who has lousy credit. For me, lousy credit speaks a lot more than a low income. Bad credit can show that he has poor money sense, makes impulsive buying choices, and isn’t as eligible for loans and the like. Doesn’t sound good to me.

When I was dating it was fairly important. But, if you’re my husband, it’s very important.

How much money a man makes means nothing to me. Even though I’d like to be able to carry my own weight financially, I definitely don’t want to be with someone who is lazy and doesn’t want to work. Just as long as he’s doing something he enjoys and isn’t lazy then who cares.

I’ve dated men of varying income levels, and the best relationship was with the one who was doing what he truly wanted to do. Not only was he happier, but whaddya know? He made the most money, too. I didn’t even know about his major fundage while we were dating. He was just fun to hang around with and had a great attitude about life. Alas, ‘twas a fling (his home was overseas), but a eye-opening one, though it took awhile for me to see that.

It’s good to have an income, yes, but if you’re working some job you hate just to make bank; if your work and your deepest-held values don’t match, your negative feelings about the situation are going to seep into other areas of your life, including your relationships, especially if you’re doing nothing about it. Where’s the fun in that?

I don’t care how rich he but he needs to have goals. I need know that we will be bringing home the bacon atleast 50/50. This was an issue with my ex. We have a child together and he had no goals and no wish to go anywhere with his life. As soon as I realized how expensive it is to have kids I became very scared for our future together because I want to have ATLEAST one more child. It doesn’t make a man more attractive to be wealthy but it does give me comfort and score some points. It’s definitely grounds for ending a relationship if he’s a nobody.

As long as it’s a livable amount, I’m fine with it. Any thing over and above is just icing on the cake.

Thanks for everyones answers, They are about what I expected because I think for me atleast its how I feel about getting involved with a woman, atleast marriage wise. I wouldn’t want someone with no ambition or was a total drag on my wallet. Though I wonder how people feel about the guy staying home to watch the kids all the time. check my next fluther question if you’re interested in answering.