Has a question ever been posed to you that you needed to stop and think about your response?  Well that was my reaction when asked, “Does money make a man more attractive to you?”  To be truthful I really needed to dig deep on this one.  I mean I had to ask myself, “What does attractive mean to me?”  When I took a deep dive into my subconscious, a flurry of thoughts came to the surface. 

I recognized that while the physical appearance of a man is what grabs me first, there are many other aspects that I need to see and experience before I decide to stick around. This internal analysis helped me to realize that I look for men with strong personalities but who also have tender hearts. Men who are compassionate and have strong ethics and moral beliefs are most attractive to me.  However, I also had to ask myself, “Does the money a man makes or the assets he may have side swipe all of this?  Does someone to whom I may not have given a second thought pique my interest because of what he has to offer financially?"   What I realized was I had an internal checklist of attributes I look for prior to deciding if a relationship with a man is worth pursuing – as I mentioned earlier, external appearance, compassion for others and a strong value system are all absolutely integral.  When it comes to money, I want someone who is financially stable because what that means is we don’t have to worry, that we can do things together and for each other.  I love being pampered and I expect to be taken care of but I can pamper and take care of someone as well.  It is a two-way street. 

Having money or a high paying job does make us more confident as we live in a world where your value is absolutely tied to financial achievement.  For some, money does make the image of a man brighter – if that helps a man (or a woman, for that matter) to be seen in a different light or to be considered more seriously as a romantic possibility, there is nothing wrong with that but it can’t be the only attribute that is taken into consideration.

In recent studies conducted results show that just over 40% of women feel that financial security outweighs the good looks of a man and that many women wanted their male partners to make more than they do.  So even in a day and age where gender stereotypes and roles are waning, there is still a strong attachment to the traditional view of male/female relationships where the men bring home at least more of the bacon! 

Let’s take this discussion one step further as we have been really looking at it from a heterosexual point of view.  Do gay relationships have the same considerations?  Does one partner have to make more for the relationship to work or is that off the table because the gender dynamics at play are different? 

So, Shades of Influence readers, let me ask you – whatever your gender preference is - does money make a potential partner more attractive?  Do you have a magic number that person would need to make before you give them the time of day?  We can’t wait to hear your take!