Some people feel like money can make problems disappear, but when it comes to marriage, that doesn't always ring true. In fact, research that analyzed various components of marriages found that while money can be helpful in marriages, it can also end up doing more harm than good—especially if one partner's mind is dominated by dollars. The 2014 study, published in Social Science Research Network, found that women who were focused on the wealth of their partner were 60 percent more likely to get divorced. To find out how wealth can cause a rift, read on, and if you're money-focused, you'll want to know Who Experts Say Should Really Pay on a Date.
To get the results of the study, researchers examined various aspects of 3,000 married couples in the U.S., including wedding metrics, income, religion, and the importance of appearance to the individuals. The authors of the study set out to pinpoint the biggest causes of divorce—one of which, they learned, was a woman's preoccupation with wealth.
While the study did find that wealthier couples are less likely to get divorced, women who were fixated on money were more likely to get divorced. Financial stability might help you have a healthy marriage, but focusing too much on money can be a serious problem. Along those lines, the study also concluded that the more money people spent on their wedding, the less likely they were to stay married, offering more proof that money is not the key to success in a relationship.
The demand for a divorce can come from either side. "Wealth does not in and of itself make for a happy marriage, and money can blind one to all the other aspects that keep a marriage going," says marriage and family psychotherapist and author Sharon Gilchrest O'Neill, LMFT. "I've seen where a partner comes to so dislike their money-oriented partner that he or she no longer wants to be in such a relationship. It becomes about values of importance, particularly when there are children involved."
Shutterstock
Gilchrest O'Neill also points out the possibility that a woman might have married her partner with the assumption that she would be living a specific type of lifestyle, and if the man doesn't end up "delivering," she could bail and seek a different partner.
"When you marry a man for any reason that is not intrinsic to him, whether it's money or prestige, you run the risk that your marriage will collapse when any of these external factors comes off the table," says divorce attorney and author Sonia Frontera. "A change in circumstances can make the man you married seem much less desirable and sticking it out a lot more painful."
Additionally, Frontera suggests that a woman who cares about money over everything may come to realize the marriage doesn't make her happy and seek to exit. "The breaking point arrives when these women become intolerably unhappy and realize that all this wealth is not buying them the happiness they crave," she says.
There are many reasons an obsession with wealth can poison a marriage, so if you're most attracted to your partner's pocketbook, you might want to consider finding a more well-rounded relationship. And if you're feeling a lack of spice, find out The No. 1 Reason You're Having Less Sex in Your Relationship.
