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Study Says Women Are Hiding Their Success in Relationships

Are Women Lying to Men About Their Success So They Don't Scare Them Off?

June 2, 2025

Flip

The Story

Are men intimidated by ambitious and successful women?

That’s the question that a recent study by the hookup app Flirtini was trying to answer. And if their survey is any indication, there are definitely some conversations that need to be had on the subject.

The Snapshot

To get a bit more insight into the cultural forces that are shaping our dating habits, Flirtini asked 2,000 female dating app users questions about the gender and feminism, and some of the questions pertained to how money and success impact dating.

The result? Nearly three-quarters (72%) of the respondents said they believe men are intimidated by successful women.

As a result, just a shade over three in five respondents (61%) said they had lied about their own success in a dating context, so as not to hurt their chances romantically.

The Lesson

Men’s earnings vastly outshone women’s in the 20th century, but one quarter of the way through the 21st, things have shifted in a few different ways.

Since women have been outperforming men in academic settings for much of the 21st century so far, it’s leading to disparities in income in many cases. Of course, men as a group still earn more (and are worth more) money, but it’s much less uncommon for a woman to have a more impressive career than her male suitors in today’s dating market.

As a result, if men who date women want to have better luck when it comes to love and sex, they’re going to have to get comfortable with the idea that their partner may well be the primary earner in the relationship.

And if trends hold, in the future it might be guys who are the gold diggers, not women.

However, you can separate yourself from the pack by making it clear to the people you’re dating, through your words or your actions, that you’re not afraid of successful women. Who knows? You might land yourself a rich sugar mama who wants to spoil you.

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