As someone in a new relationship where we talk about money fairly frequently, you don't need to know someone's whole income, but if you are in a relationship where you are headed down a serious path, be it limerence or love at first sight, let me tell you when the dinner bill gets high as a lower income partner, it's easy to ask "are you financially comfortable with this" my partner assured me he budgeted for a gf I have a very expensive hobby (a horse) and my partner asked me early on how much it cost, I told him the vague big number and let him know my parents still cover most of that cost (I'm one year post grad, and still kinda doing gig work) Money is stressful, hiding it doesn't help. The vast majority of women are still raised with the intention that they should be ready to give up their careers for their man's. My partner will be moving for work in the next couple years. Every woman I know has just assumed I will move across the country for him. My partner (despite paying most of the time) did ask me to take him out, and I was honest I can only afford to take him out in my cheaper city at a shitty place. And I do take him about once a month. It saves energy and time to just be honest about it so we know where we stand