Let me just echo Garance's post on contemporary romance. One certainly can't generalize over the entire population, but certainly within my experience the notion that men are uncomfortable dating women who are more successful than them just doesn't hold up. On the other hand, Dowd's writing on gender relationships more generally ring a bit more true than do her writings about romance.
...adding: Though I suppose it's the case that "marrying the secretary" is common in round 2 of the marriage game and people in my peer group haven't, for the most part, hit the age when that is common. I just don't see it happening as much.
