We Asked 7 Women if They Would Date a Man Less Rich than Them

Most often women who date or marry a man are called "gold-diggers". As a word, "gold-digger" emphasises that women are only in relationships with rich men for their money. This word is not only derogatory but is often used to invalidate women and disrespect their identity and choices. Society needs to understand what women's dating preferences are. This will not only create more value for women's choices but will also remove men of the unnecessary pressure from men who think they need to make more money to find the woman they love.

Read Also: How Online Education is Widening The Gender Gap Thanks to Connectivity Issues

We asked 7 women of a variety of age groups if they would marry a man who is less rich than them to understand women's dating preferences. It's not about the money. Here is what they said.

Tamanna Seth, 19

"I am into creative men. If a man can do something individualised for me, I tend to fall for him. I don't mind dating men who are not as well off as me. I don't make my own money right now, but when I do, I will never judge him by how rich he is.  I want to depend on my own finances and have my own freedom, rather than being dependant on a man. I can't even imagine being with someone only for their money, it would make me really spiteful eventually."

Nazneem Reshamwalla, 23

"I grew up in a Muslim family which has given me much less freedom than other women in India have. For me, I don't judge a man by his money, but I will definitely go for a man who lets me by myself and understands my freedom. I cannot be with someone who wants me to take his permission before doing anything."

Maya Jain, 55

"I have never earned a penny on my own in life. I was married at the age of 17 and was never taught the importance of being financially independent as girls are today. For my father, it was important that the boy comes from a well off family. My father left the decision to marry on me after meeting the boy. I met him and I fell in love with him because he was a good listener. He gave me space to talk and listened to me. I still wish I was financially independent but I have never loved my husband because I depend on him. We are not that well off but I have never blamed him and love him more than anything"

Bhoomika Singh, 37

"Financial independence is attractive to me. I would prefer a man who is financially independent over someone who relies on their parent's money. It is natural to be attracted to people who are self made. But I would never date a man only because he is rich. I have said "no" to many men who were relying on their parents and were not financially independent. Their parents were well off, but I'm supposed to date a man, not his parents right?"

Karishma Chauhan, 42

"I think financial stability is an important aspect of every relationship. While choosing a man I made sure that our finances are stable enough for us to be able to raise children and give them the life they deserve. Being rich is not important, but collective financial stability is. I'm not saying that only the man needs to bring in this stability, but I think that the man and woman need to collectively build this stability for a happy home"

Simran Khanna, 25

"In this age, most women are working. They have their own dreams and ambitions. These days women are achieving more than men. The real question isn't "Are women willing to date men less rich than them", the real question is "Are men willing to date women who are doing better than them and are earning more. "

Fatima Hussain, 65

"I would want my daughter to get married into a stable family. I don't think she will choose someone only because they are rich, but she will choose someone if the are good overall. I don't think money can make people happy. But I think that the overall person counts."

Talking to women about their preferences only increased my belief that "gold-digger" as a word is used to invalidate women and their beliefs. I strongly believe that words like gold digger should not be used for any woman.

Vidhi Bubna is a contributor at SheThePeople.TV