3 ms·

Enough to know a 20-to-1 difference is abhorrent, given they file joint tax returns and she has a better credit score?

derision 7y ago
If you're married and you're filing jointly, it's really no different than the same individual applying twice in a row. They've already extended one credit line to a specific entity, so it makes perfect sense that the second line would either be denied or minimal. It baffles me that this has exploded so much
- ryandrake 7y ago
  Surely tax filing status is not the only factor taken into account, nor is credit score. If I were a stay-at-home dad and my wife was a doctor, I’d expect her creditworthiness to be much more than mine, regardless of how we did our taxes. If both of us took out $100k in credit and then got divorced who is most likely to be able to pay it back?
  - derision 7y ago
    Theoretically both, because the lower earning spouse will be taking in alimony
23B1 7y ago
Oh don't get me wrong, I'd love to understand the algorithm that determines who gets how much credit. But we're assuming that it has to do with gender, and none of us actually know the difference between these two people historically. My wife has better credit than I do but I can borrow more because my income is much higher, for example.
- tom_mellior 7y ago
  I think the idea behind joint accounts and joint filing is that, for all intents and purposes, the couple have equal incomes.
  - 23B1 7y ago
    But if I'm doing an actuarial and know, for instance, that X% of marriages end in divorce, that's probably a calculation I'm going to make.
    - tom_mellior 7y ago
      If you're doing that calculation and conclude that she is somewhat likely to end up divorced and with less income, because she is a woman, then... congratulations, your algorithm fulfills the definition of "sexism". And just to be clear: It is not sexist to point out that women make less money on average than men. It is sexist to treat individual women worse than men because of this general expectation, without factoring in any other information.
FDSGSG 7y ago
I've been denied cards despite an excellent credit history, is this evidence of sexism or just otherwise shitty algorithms?

If you're married and you're filing jointly, it's really no different than the same individual applying twice in a row. They've already extended one credit line to a specific entity, so it makes perfect sense that the second line would either be denied or minimal. It baffles me that this has exploded so much

ryandrake 7y ago
Surely tax filing status is not the only factor taken into account, nor is credit score. If I were a stay-at-home dad and my wife was a doctor, I’d expect her creditworthiness to be much more than mine, regardless of how we did our taxes. If both of us took out $100k in credit and then got divorced who is most likely to be able to pay it back?
- derision 7y ago
  Theoretically both, because the lower earning spouse will be taking in alimony

23B1 7y ago

Oh don't get me wrong, I'd love to understand the algorithm that determines who gets how much credit. But we're assuming that it has to do with gender, and none of us actually know the difference between these two people historically. My wife has better credit than I do but I can borrow more because my income is much higher, for example.

tom_mellior 7y ago
I think the idea behind joint accounts and joint filing is that, for all intents and purposes, the couple have equal incomes.
- 23B1 7y ago
  But if I'm doing an actuarial and know, for instance, that X% of marriages end in divorce, that's probably a calculation I'm going to make.
  - tom_mellior 7y ago
    If you're doing that calculation and conclude that she is somewhat likely to end up divorced and with less income, because she is a woman, then... congratulations, your algorithm fulfills the definition of "sexism". And just to be clear: It is not sexist to point out that women make less money on average than men. It is sexist to treat individual women worse than men because of this general expectation, without factoring in any other information.

FDSGSG 7y ago

I've been denied cards despite an excellent credit history, is this evidence of sexism or just otherwise shitty algorithms?