Who's career is more important?

No necessarily...you have to look at potential, and opportunity costs, and basically each situation is different. However, logic should dictate that the man's career isn't alway most important.

to your edit...if money is the priority in the family then I'd guess you'd go w/ the woman's job. But a higher salary isn't always the best way to determine these things...location, hours on the job, commute, quality of life in one city vs the other. But I know what you mean, the man shouldn't alway win these battles just b/c he is the male!!!

I don't think either one should take priority over the other.

I feel that a career is more than money. Anyone can have a job and make money. But a career is what you love to do. If we both love what we do, and are doing if for that reason, then it removes unnecessary competition. Instead of one being more important, it's both of us are working together.

That's just how I view career.

One would think that the higher earner opportunity should take priority, but social pressure and sexism can be pretty strong. Some women are told that they should quit their careers in order to "preserve their families"...and if they don't and the woman gets divorced, then somehow it is her fault for being "too career oriented" but yet no one faults men for that.

Well, if that was the case the lower earner will never get the chance to earn more. It shouldn't always be the man's though.

Yes, logic SHOULD account for who has the higher salary. Unfortunately, the stereotypical gender roles that we have grown up with in our culture (woman as housewife, man as breadwinner) can still make it difficult for people to look only at the facts and numbers.

I would think so. I imagine that these statistics are involving children in the home or something..usually the woman makes sacrifices in the workplace to care for her children. Generally I mean...in my experience.

no i feel its the career in the long run that out weigh the earnings

Sadly, in general, there's not nearly as much logic in relationships as there should be. But in my experience, the person who is the least successful in their career usually gets more of the support, just to buck them up.

The one most likely to keep working during pregnancy birth and child raising.