New Delhi: The saying, “More money, more problems,” is definitely true when it comes to one’s love life. According to a study by The Economist, husbands whose wives are the breadwinners are more likely to report “mental distress.”
After compiling 17 years of data on working couples from the American Community Survey, the study found that only 30 per cent of wives out-earn their husbands. But even these rare relationships can severely impact the mental well-being of a man. Despite a narrowing pay gap, the study found that in households where wives earn 70 per cent of the income, husbands are at a higher risk of “serious psychological distress.”
The Economist’s study also found that women who are the breadwinners often report lower satisfaction with their relationships, since they are still expected to shoulder the burden of household chores.
“Family work is still predominantly falling on women’s shoulders, no matter whether they are the breadwinner or not,” said Misty Heggeness of the University of Kansas, adding that this still does not explain why men also report being unhappy.
But this is not confined to the United States. In 2024, a French study found that couples are more likely to split up when the woman earns more.
According to the study, if the woman earned 55 per cent or more of the total income, the couple was more likely to break up within the year, irrespective of the man’s employment. This was found to be true for marriages, live-in relationships, as well as dating.
A recent study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family found that women who earned more than their partners were 36 per cent more likely to separate. The study found that one possible reason for this is that work and household chores place a greater strain on women as responsibilities remain unevenly shared.