Need your opinion... Does this wife owe him more?

[VoraciousReader]

I missed this thread on the first go-round. Interestingly enough, katy, I've seen a similar problem...the other way around.

Specifically, I went to college with a couple that fell in love freshman year, and after a brief breakup post-graduation, reunited and wed while they were both in graduate school. She stopped at a master's degree and took a private sector job, while he continued and earned his Phd. The PhD ended up taking him 7 years post-college (so long, in fact, that he was in danger of being booted from the program the year he finally finished). He did receive a small stipend from the program he was in during this time. Under the terms of their agreement, that was his discretionary spending income and was not used for joint expenses.

She worked a job that paid extremely well, but didn't particularly like.

Upon receiving his doctorate, he told her didn't want to be a researcher or a professor, but wasn't sure what he did want to do. He told her he was thinking of taking a creative writing internship...unpaid.

The wife was extremely well compensated in her field, and she could easily continue their current standard of living without adding his income to hers.

She didn't take it well, and I didn't blame her.

So, for the "support your partner's happiness" contingent:

1 )Does going from "small income" to "no income" change your opinion?

2) Does the fact that it is the husband, not the wife, make a difference?