perplexed

This is perhaps true, and it is not entirely unfair. Consciously or not, a woman will look for an aspect of physical security in choosing her mate. Although this may be less often true than in the days before "women's lib," i would suggest it is still largely true--and that it likely is unconscious. A "poor man" (how one defines that means a great deal) looks less able to provide physical security, i.e., a home, food, clothing, etc. As i said at the outset, that is not unreasonable in terms of traditional roles, which, like it or not, continue to have a sigificant impact on people.

For what it's worth, here is some internet advice from a "smart man":

http://members.iinet.net.au/~dehere/03_articles/article013.html

happyprince- Welcome to A2K!

You said something very interesting:



In the days when sex roles were more well defined, your statement was absolutely true. Men were judged by their acomplishments, women by their looks. So you had the case where a good looking woman from a poor home could better her condition by marrying for money.

On the other hand, wealthy men had "trophy wives"- beautiful women that they could bedeck with gorgeous clothes, furs and jewels. She became an object, as much of a symbol of a man's success as the make of his car, or the cut of his suit. It really did not matter if the woman had the I.Q. of a fruit fly, as long as she looked gorgeous. I know....I had an aunt like that.

Since most women could not really achieve in the working world, it was often the only the good looks that could take her out of poverty. Now it is no longer the case.

I think that you are implying a bias by talking about attracting a pretty girl. Hopefully humanity has advanced to the point where men can see beyond the superficialities, and consider the entire person.

When I got married, my dad said to me "Well, the good thing is, at least you know she didn't marry you for your money."

Okay..can I just point one little thing out here..a poor man certainly could attract a girl...keeping her is another thing all together.
Of course, this all depends on the girl, and the extend of the 'poor man'. Not to mention all sorts of other possibilities.

I remember reading once that couples tended to be of similar attractiveness. Then you would see ugly men married to gorgeous women. With these men, what they lacked in looks was made up by their accomplishments, so that there was a level playing field.

Interestingly enough, you seldom see an ugly woman (unless she is very rich) married to a gorgeous guy. Years ago, my mom had a friend who was very ugly, and had a hunk of a husband. She was not rich, but he was very stupid.So I suppose that was where things evened out!

I've been attracted to poor men.