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MEN & WOMEN STILL CAN'T MAKE
CENTS OF EACH OTHER
MONEY Magazine Survey Reveals That When It Comes To Money, Married Couples Know Far Less about Each Other Than They Think
New York, NY (March 16, 2006) - An exclusive nationwide survey of married couples by MONEY magazine reveals that husbands and wives just aren't getting through to each other about financial goals, priorities and worries. The survey of 1,000 spouses (500 husbands and 500 wives) found that most men and many women are clueless about what their partner really wants, money-wise. One big reason: Husbands and wives tend to live in different financial worlds. Even in today's two-income, increasingly gender-equal families, couples still largely stick to traditional financial roles.
MONEY magazine's survey provides a window into how couples manage money today-their fights, misunderstandings and miscommunications. The magazine's conclusion: When it comes to money, men and women may not be from different planets, but they have a big communications gap to bridge.
Money Trumps SexMarried couples fight over money more than sex or in-laws Sex (43% money, 20% sex) In-laws (34% money, 24% in-laws)
MONEY magazine's managing editor Eric Schurenberg said, "Our surveyoffers a compelling snapshot of today's married couples. It is eye-opening to see that despite their supposed financial sophistication and equality,married couples still divide the family's finances along very traditional lines, with little communication between partners in the economy's most importantunit."
Today's married couples can't agree on how much they earn or how much they owe. In fact, more than eight in 10 respondents (84%) admit money is a major cause of tension in their marriage-money, it turns out, causes more fights than sex or even in-laws.
The survey revealed that men and women have dramatically different ideas about who does what with the family money and what their partners care about. Husbands and wives typecast each other and themselves-men still do most of the big-picture, long-term planning; women manage the household's day-to-day finances.
"It's amazing that in 2006, married couples continue to misunderstand each other," added Schurenberg. "A hundred years after Freud, men still don't know what women want. But there's hope: Our survey revealed that what husbands and wives want is pretty much the same; they just don't realize it."
The full results of the survey and accompanying story will appear in the April issue of MONEY, on newsstands March 27.
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MONEY, published by Time Inc., is the nation's largest financial publication, with a circulation of 1.9 million and a total readership of more than 7 million.
MEN, WOMEN & MONEY MONEY magazine survey highlights
WHERE'S THE BEEF?Couples fight more about money than sex (43% vs. 20%).but not as much as they argue about their kids (41% vs. 28%) or who takes out the garbage (51% vs. 24%).
MEN ON TOPBoth husbands (41%) and wives (44%) agree: When they disagree about money, the man most often prevails, especially in higher-income households.
WHO'S THE BOSS? Three-quarters of men (73%) think they make most of the family's investment decisions, but less than half of wives (49%) say their husbands do so.
YOU THINK WHAT?Two-thirds of women rank saving for retirement and emergencies as very important, but only 45% of men think those goals matter a lot to their wives.
COCKTAIL CHATTERHalf of all men (50%) say they like to talk about money at parties more than their wives, more than twice the number of women (22%) who claim social bragging rights.
KIDDIE TENSIONNearly four times as many couples with children admit to fighting with their spouse about money (26%) as couples without kids (7%).
HIGH FLIERSMore than twice as many men (66%) as women (31%) label themselves as the financial risk-taker in the family.
WHO'S IN CHARGE? Both husbands and wives are twice as likely to credit themselves with taking the lead in teaching their kids about money as their spouses.
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For further information please contact: Phil DiIanni
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