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Comment by twothamendment | Hacker News Reader

If she wants my for my money she can move on, no loss.

Money is one of the most important elements in a relationship. Anyone telling you "love conquers all" is a fool or privileged to the point of ignorance.

When you say "Money is one of the most important elements in a relationship", do you mean financial stability in the broad sense, or something else?

While this is certainly true to an extent (and I wouldn't say it's "money" that's important, but rather "financial stability"), the issue researchers have seen is that high-earning women in America simply will not "date down". These women have more than enough money for 2 people, but even so will not date men who earn less than themselves. The opposite is not the case: men earning the same don't have this same requirement of dating partners, and in fact usually date women who earn less, many times much less.

And it's not even just the money. A woman with a college degree may be unwilling to date a tradesperson even if he's making $200k and she $30k.

Exactly, and for good reason too. The two people are so far apart politically, culturally, and in basic values and worldview that they aren't going to be able to have a lasting relationship.

That's not a given. A woman with a BSc may come from a very similar background as a carpenter or electrician, but may reject him simply because she feels that her degree proves that she deserves better than that.

The background isn't important. Lots of college-educated people came from families that weren't college-educated (I'm one of those). The college experience, and having a college education, makes you very different from people who didn't go to college. I wouldn't date a woman without a college degree either.

> I wouldn't date a woman without a college degree either.

I'm curious: Do you have a postgraduate degree, and if yes, would you be willing to data someone with "only" a BSc?

Let's say that someone has a PhD from a top university, for them to date someone without a BSc involves a greater gap than if someone with a mediocre BSc/BA from a community college dates an electrician.

> The background isn't important.

Here I disagree pretty strongly. An undergraduate will not provide the kind of class someone with multiple generations of doctors, lawyers, professors or "old money" tend to be instilled with during their childhood. Of course, those kids will almost always end up in college (if they're healthy).

In my experience, those from working class families tend fake their sophistication (often overcompensating) at least well into the 30s to compensate, if their education takes them into such circles.

No, I have a BS. I can't speak for people with graduate degrees, but I would say there's not that much difference except the grad degree people spent more time on a campus. The people with a BS/BA still have a proper education and understand the value of education and have been through the college experience. Arguably, someone who went to community college falls short of this.

In my experience, people who never went to college just have a very different outlook on life. There's a very good reason the political polarization in America today has a large component of being aligned along educational attainment.

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