Over one-third of coupled women are financially dependent on their partner

Though financial experts may caution against it, many Americans are finding that they are financially dependent on their romantic partner to some extent.

New data from YouGov finds that over one-third of partnered women say that they are entirely (15%) or somewhat (20%) financially dependent on their partner. Among partnered men, a quarter say they are entirely (11%) or somewhat (13%) financially dependent on a partner.

The results also show that, among partnered women who are mothers to at least one child under 18, 44% say they are entirely (23%) or somewhat (21%) financially dependent on their partner. Among coupled men who are fathers, fewer (32%) say they are entirely (16%) or somewhat (16%) financially reliant on their partner.

Among fathers who have a partner, 14% say their partner is somewhat financially dependent on them, and 13% say their partner is entirely financially dependent on them.

When both partners work full-time, the dependency gap between genders tends to shrink significantly.

Among women who are in a relationship and work full time, 24% say they are entirely (8%) or somewhat (15%) financially dependent on a partner. Among partnered men who work full-time, 23% say they’re entirely (11%) or somewhat (12%) financially reliant on a partner.

See full results here.

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Methodology: 19,355 US adults 18+ were surveyed between May 10 – 16, 2021. Responses were rebased to exclude respondents who chose “N/A - I do not have a partner.” The rebased sample is 13,987 US adults ages 18+ who are in a relationship. The responding sample is weighted to be representative of the US population.