Why do men get stressed when partners make more money?

It's not a secret that the money in the relationship can be a difficult thing to manage sometimes, but a new scientific study showed that it's more complex than we thought. It turns out that men feel stressed not only if they are the household beneficiaries but also if a wife contributes more than 40% of the family's income. The cultural idea of male gender in terms of income insurance is the main reason for this situation, although it is not alone.

These are the main conclusions of the study:

1. The more economic dependence, the more stress.

Stress among men grows when their girlfriend or wife contributes more than 40% of home income, according to a University of Bath (United Kingdom) study. The relationship is directly proportional: if the husband is more economically dependent on his wife, the level of psychological disorders he is prone to suffer is also higher.

2. The idea of male image and the imbalance of power.

One reason is the persistence of a patriarchal culture in society. For generations, in many cultures, there has been a persecution that a man will be the primary provider of family income,” - says Joana Syrda, a leading academic researcher. “Facing a change in this outcome from their partners means that men experience high levels of psychological concern,”- she adds.

Another explanation exceeds the gender issue, indicating the imbalance of power that can be generated in any relationship by one of the highest economic partners. This imbalance is notorious both in day - to - day spending decisions and in savings and in worsening the relationship between the couple, where the lower - income person may think of divorce or separation.

3. Every rule has an exception.

There is an exception to this direct relationship between stress and their contribution to the couple's internal economy: that is whether the woman had higher incomes before marriage or living together. In this case, the existing and potential income gap in the future was created in advance, and this can alleviate the situation.

4. The income report is the key.

Research revealed that for men, being the only financial food in the family generates stress, even though not enough to be in position to contribute less money to the couple. The reason, in this case, is related to the fact that responsibility and pressure cause considerable levels of anxiety and concern.

So this is another important conclusion: Men are happier when both partners contribute financially home but when they are the main bidders. The ideal requirement is for a man to contribute 60% compared to approximately 40% of women, as problems begin beyond that.

5. Slow progress in eliminating the gender pay gap.

The countries that have made the biggest progress towards equality are Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland. But it will take about 200 years to eliminate the gender wage gap.