Should money be a factor in a relationship or when finding a partner? Some think that money should be a factor while others believe that it should not but what does economics say? Money for a lot of people is a form of signal that indicates stability, freedom, and comfort. One can think about this as how getting a degree is a signal. In a job-market signaling model, potential employees could send a signal of their ability level to the employer by acquiring a college degree or some form of education to serve as a form of credentials. The informational value of the credential gives the employer that the potential employee has the skills that correlate with the job they are interested in. Likewise, the credentials allow the employer to differentiate as well as distinguish between low ability workers from high ability workers. This concept is especially important if an employee is seeking to sell their services to an employer at their chosen wage or price. People also chose to continue to pay for a college degree because they want to someday profit off of their experiences and passion. Putting these concepts in a relationship context, simply meaning that many people will tend to gravitate towards a partner that is within their inner circles or class. For example, a lot of the time we do not see someone from a low class dating someone from a higher class simply because their chance of coming into contact with each other is limited. Another example is as a college student, my dating pool is other college students. Also, an individuals’ socioeconomic influences their potential dating partner because they may not look past what is available to them. Money is a deciding factor and dividing factor but that does not mean that should be the primary factor or only standard when it comes to searching for a partner. So for those who are still trying to find a partner and is crafting or have already crafted their list of what their partner must have, is money in there?
Everyday economics from the University of Puget Sound