It has been argued that extending welfare benefits to two-parent families may reduce marital disruptions by increasing the absolute level of males' earnings. The premise behind this assertion is that an increase in the absolute level of male earnings will reduce economic strain in the marriage, and the wife will perceive more gains from remaining in the married state. Unfortunately, the literature in this area has not definitively shown that it is a man's absolute level of earnings, rather than some other aspect of his earnings, that affects marital disruption. This paper assesses the effects of several aspects of the husband's earnings on marital disruption: (1) absolute level of earnings; (2) earnings instability; (3) earnings relative to peers; and (4) "permanent income." Other relevant variables known to affect marital disruption are held constant. The data are the Wisconsin longitudinal study of a cohort of high school seniors that were reinterviewed at age 35. The unique aspect of the data is the presence of detailed earnings histories. (Author/GC)