Nov 29, 2023
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Dubai-based TikToker Sofia Kralow’s profile is filled with luxury-lifestyle content. Sparkling diamonds, designer clothing and accessories, helicopters, fancy cars and stacks of cash are frequently featured in her videos.
She talks a lot about being a millionaire and a rich woman, but a recent video indicates that her lavish lifestyle is made possible, at least to some extent, by her wealthy husband, hedge fund manager and YouTuber Thomas Kralow.
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In the video, Sofia urges her followers to “never date broke men.” With a soundtrack featuring a woman’s voice singing, “Thank you to my man,” the montage-style footage shows a series of aspirational clips: a designer handbag, a gift-wrapped luxury car and Sofia and her husband dancing in front of a helicopter.
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The video caused a backlash among commenters, many of whom said the message was antiquated. The controversy highlights the evolving reality of married women’s financial position relative to their husbands. Even Sofia’s own marriage is not as financially one-sided as her video might indicate.
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Commenters resent 'broke men' message
The video has 1.4 million views and over 1500 comments, some of which include women asking where they can find a man like Sofia’s husband and whether he has any friends. Many more defend love as involving more than money. Other viewers in the comments claim that they don’t want a rich man, they want to be the rich “man.”
One comment in particular accused Sofia of creating content that pushes women “back 100 years” by encouraging them to depend on a man for money.
“Great message,” the commenter sarcastically stated.
Read more: Can I collect my dead spouse’s Social Security and my own at the same time? Here are 5 secrets of ‘survivors benefits’ you need to know
Sofia responded to the comments in a follow-up video, posing the question, “Where is the connection between never dating a broke man and being dependent on a rich man or any man?”
She points out that women with wealthy partners can also be rich themselves, alluding to the fact that, while her husband may buy her extravagant and luxurious gifts, she has her own business ventures that contribute to their high-end lifestyle. For example, Sofia sells a line of high-priced fragrances.
Who's making the money in modern marriages?
No matter your take on Sofia’s opinion of whom to date, her TikTok video and subsequent comments raise questions about the current financial dynamics between husbands and wives in modern-day America. Centreal among them: Are men still the breadwinners in traditional relationships or have women caught up?
According to a study by the Pew Research Center, men are still the higher earners in the majority of opposite-sex marriages. But the situation has evolved drastically in the last 50 years: modern-day women are three times as likely to be the breadwinners today than they were in the early 1970s.
The 2022 study shows 55% of opposite-sex marriages had a man as the breadwinner, where “breadwinner” is defined as a partner who earns at least 60% of the couple’s combined earnings. Only 16% of marriages had a breadwinning woman, and the remaining 29% of couples were “egalitarian,” meaning the husband and wife earn similar amounts of money. That means 45% of women make a similar amount or more than their husbands in modern America.
While it’s encouraging to see women financially contributing more to marriages, research indicates a gender wage gap still exists, and unfortunately it has changed little in the last 20 years. A further study from Pew shows that, as of 2022, women made $0.82 for every $1 made by a man. To compare, in 2002, women made $0.80 for every $1 made by a man. This is in sharp contrast to the progress made in the previous two decades, when in 1982 women earned $0.65 for every $1 made by a man.
Read More: Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan ‘works every single time’ to kill debt, get rich in America — and that ‘anyone’ can do it
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Hannah Logan is an Ottawa-based writer and blogger who specializes in personal finance and travel.
