Old relationship dynamics remain — even as women change outdated money trends

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce

When Taylor Swift marries Travis Kelce, pop culture will get a financial example you don’t see every day.

Both are ultra-rich and at the top of their fields, but Kelce, a Kansas City Chiefs football pro, has not made the same amount of money as his billionaire pop-star fiancée.

A wife in a heterosexual relationship earning more than her husband goes against traditional gender roles, but the trend is becoming more common. The share of women who earn as much as or more than their husbands has tripled in the past 50 years –– 45% of wives in opposite-sex marriages bring in the same amount or more than their husbands in the United States, according to Pew Research Center data from 2023.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_bwk8xMOeI

Getting by on one income is hard, so there are many benefits in women having more access to work and pay equity –– kids even tend to be more successful and have more egalitarian relationships if they have a working mom, according to Dr. Megan McCoy, a financial therapist and associate professor of personal financial planning at Kansas State University.

But the change from old-fashioned norms can lead to “growing pains” for some people, and couples may need to be intentional to keep relationships strong while going against expectations, said Brian Page, a financial counselor and founder of Modern Husbands, a financial and domestic labor coaching service.

Cre: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/06/health/gender-finance-relationships-wellness