Quite the contrary. This is the first time I hear of women who refuse to date a man who earns less than them (excepting gold diggers, of course), and I've heard about men who don't want to date women who earn more than them, from men who think women should not earn more than them.
Women marrying up is historically the biggest driver of equality in Western societies (poor people becoming richer). Economist have identified it as a problem because as women get richer and they don't want to marry down, that mechanism for "equality" is increasingly lost.
So there have been studies about this phenomenon (women not wanting to marry down), but I am too lazy to Google for them.
Also, financial troubles of the husband are the strongest indicator for impeding divorce. And breakups are usually initiated by women.
Every time this comes up I wonder if I should launch a dating site for rich women seeking a "houseman" for a partner. But somehow I am still not convinced yet that there is really such a huge market.
Yeah, but that's part of the old patriarchal system where men make money and women stay at home. In this age of double incomes, it should be irrelevant. Still, some people cling to the old patriarchy.
It's not just that, it is that women have the greater bargaining chip in the relationship. They have the womb for creating babies, so they can make more demands. Also, they make the greater investment into kids (at first, at least, over time it can change), which also warrants "compensation".
I'm not sure what they're supposed to be bargaining about in your view. Have you ever been in a long term relationship? Because what you're describing does not sound like a healthy relationship.
