Currently in a relationship with a man that I met on hinge about ~1 year ago and have been dating exclusively since. The relationship has been nothing but positive and he is definitely a kind, caring man. We seldom argue if ever and generally things are smooth - we get along and have personalities that mesh well. There is good chemistry and this is probably the most healthy relationship I have ever been in given the strong communication and respect between us.
However there are a few aspects that have been nagging at me and I am not sure what to do, whether to continue in the relationship or cut ties now before it is too serious (with a possibility to remain friends in the future?)
For background, he works in education as an administrator from 9-5 and I work in finance (e.g. private equity) and make 4x his annual salary with a completely different earnings trajectory. I generally like what I do and want to continue in this career to make more money but he seems to be content with his job and not as ambitious, which is fine, but if we were to get married, I would certainly become the primary breadwinner which I feel puts a lot of stress on me to continue to do what I do. He doesn't have any debt or anything like that, and is acutely aware of the financial divide between us.
Also, my heritage is Japanese, while he is White and my parents are quite traditionally minded (would prefer me to marry within Asian culture although not a firm request) and have brought up the point that we might have troubles to align on ambitions, finances and upbringing of children in the future given discrepancy in our lifestyles that could continue to grow.
Additionally, we would be doing long distance for the next 2-3 years as I have accepted a job contract in a different state that pays significantly more / better conditions. This is an inflection point in my life and our relationship, whether to stick it out or not. He is OK with this but wants me to return to the current city we live in after I complete the contract.
He seems to be more longer term minded (thinking about marriage, future life together) but I don't think I'm quite there yet. I might be able to get there in the future but a lot of the decision making / leading in the relationship is on my plate, given the disparity in income and traditional role of the woman being the homemaker (and also breadwinner in this case).
Any good thoughts / advice for someone in my situation and how to think about it before making any decisions? Should I "go back into the dating pool" or hang in there? If we were to break up, how to approach this empathetically?
TLDR: in a great relationship but there are financial and cultural differences between us, how to approach?
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