A clip of an interview with a woman discussing her personal relationship standards is garnering mixed reactions online after she explained why she wants her partner to possess a similar or higher salary than her own.
Angela Knight, an influencer, spoke with the interview-based platform The Desirable Truth on the streets of Miami. In a segment aired this week on various social platforms like TikTok and YouTube, Knight breaks down gender roles and identities between men and women and how they impact a number of interests like relationships, social behaviors, and individual mindsets.
The interviewer asked her, “If you make $100K, how much do you want your man to make?”
“I would assume that I would meet someone in the same bracket, so he’d probably make $100K, the same or more,” Knight responded. “We do live in modern society, women do work, men do work, I’m not gonna sit home and not do anything. Hypergamy is also still very much a thing, so you’re obviously gonna date someone in the same bracket or someone that makes more, it’s between the two.”
The term hypergamy, which Knight used as a basis for her argument, is a social practice in which a person of a certain social, educational, or economic background dates or marries someone that has a higher background or status.
She goes on to say how the differences in social or economic statuses between a man and a woman in a relationship, especially if the woman is the breadwinner, can impact how that man views his partner and himself.
The interviewer then asks her if she would date someone who made even $55,000, to which Knight replies that it wouldn’t make sense for her to date down and elaborates how money can factor into a man’s ability to steer a relationship.
“If a guy wants to lead a relationship, how is he leading it if he’s making less? The money helps you lead in a lot of ways: responsibilities and goals. If you’re not making any money, what are you doing that’s leading as a man? How can you treat me good if you’re not making enough money to feel like a man?”
The interviewer questions the subjectivity of that last question, posing a hypothetical scenario in which a man could feel comfortable making $35,000 while working at Walmart.
Knight responds, “There’s nothing wrong with that. I think that’s fine, but also date a girl that works at Walmart that makes the same amount or less. Why would you date someone whose taste is caviar? That’s gonna ruin your ego as a man.”
Most social media users lauded her comments, claiming that a man’s income is inherently tied to his ability to spearhead a relationship as well as feelings of masculinity and insecurity.
“She seems to be fully aware of what she’s asking for even taking into consideration the other party’s (man) perspective and role in the relationship,” one person commented on Twitter.
“She is speaking facts. Do not date a man that makes less, I have done it and it is hard,” another Twitter user wrote. “They always feel inadequate, they get envious, and they feel emasculated.”
“Whether you disagree or not, she’s 100% correct. The man’s job is to lead and that comes with some responsibility tied to financial obligations,” one user wrote on Instagram.
There were fewer commenters that noted that money is important but also questioned if there’s more to a man’s capabilities to lead a relationship that isn’t grounded in financial provision.
“Men can lead without a lot of money,” an Instagram user commented. “Its just up to them to find a woman who wants to be led and doesn’t have a mindset that throws off what he is growing for himself and their future.”
“The Wisdom to lead doesn’t have a price tag & Rich folks make poor decisions too.” another user wrote.
“At the end of the day, do what you believe is best for you. We all can agree to disagree,” someone commented on Twitter. “I’ve had money, I’ve been broke. My wife makes money and she has been broke. Love outweighs money at the end of the day. We need it to live, but it’s not the end all be all.
