A Huge Chunk Of Millennials Would Break Up With Their Partner For A Raise & TBH, Same
What would you do for a raise? And I'm not just talking any raise, but, like, a big one. The kind of raise that would maybe let you splurge on the unlimited class package at ClassPass in addition to an Equinox membership. Or maybe one that — dare I say it — let's you swap Trader Joe's for Whole Foods as your go-to grocery store. Obviously, you'd work hard and all that, but what would you sacrifice? Your friends? Your family? Your relationship? That may seem extreme, but a new study found that lots of millennials would break up for a raise.
The study, conducted by financial services company Comet, based their findings on a survey of almost 400 employed millennials (all between 20 and 36 years old) who were both single and childless. Based on their survey results, it seems a career is the only real bae that matters to most millennials.
What do I mean by that? Well, almost half of them (41 percent) admitted they would end a relationship for a promotion. Yep, that's right. That means 41 percent of Millennials would literally dump their significant others for the chance to move up the corporate ladder. So yeah, maybe keep that in mind the next time your BF or GF is up for that promotion at work. (Just kidding, this totally wouldn't happen IRL, right? RIGHT?!)
It's not just a title promotion that could lead them to dumping their partners. In fact, all it really takes for millennials to drop the so-called loves of their lives is some cold, hard cash. Just how much are we talking here? According to the study, a $37,000 raise would be enough to convince 32 percent of millennials that it's cool to leave their lovers high and dry.
And, I mean, this is all only on the off change you manage to get a significant other before an advance in your job in the first place. The study found that millennials would put off even getting involved in a relationship for over a decade (11 years, to be exact) in exchange for a huge promotion. In other words, dream job or dream salary trumps true looooooove. So, hey, maybe that person who told you they were too busy working for a relationship wasn't lying after all.
In addition to waiting 11 years to be in a real relationship, millennials are also willing to put off a bunch of other milestones in their personal lives in exchange for a large promotion at work. If already in a relationship, millennials agreed that they would delay marriage for seven years while they pursued their professional aspirations. People who were either already married or in a relationship said they would wait eight years before having children with their lovers if it meant success in their careers.
If you're already in a very committed relationship with someone who recently got a raise — to the point where marriage might be on the table —don't be too stressed, though. It takes way more money for people to put off getting married or starting a family than the $37,000 it does for them to leave their partners. So, for example, if your bae was already planning on proposing to you, it would take a whopping $64,000 raise to put off popping the question. Moreover, it would take a major $67,000 raise for most people to put off starting a family.
There is one bright side to our career-focused mindsets when it comes to relationships. Because we are so incredibly focused on our careers, we are also pretty understanding and supportive when our partners get a chance to make a big career change. In fact, a vast majority of millennials (86 percent, to be exact) agreed that they'd be willing to move to another city if their bae was offered a job there.
Maybe with this understanding mindset, one partner's catapulting career doesn't necessarily also mark the end of the relationship. There's a silver lining to every cloud, people!
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