A new peer-reviewed study has revealed that couples straight couples where the woman is the sole source of income report lower life satisfaction compared to couples where the man is the breadwinner or where both partners work.
Across 14 years of European social survey data, men and women reported less satisfaction when their spouse or partner was responsible for the sustenancefinancial family, and men faced greater difficulties in this situation.
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Even after controlling for income, attitudes toward gender, and other characteristics, the results remained consistent. See details below.
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The study analyzed responses from more than 42,000 people of working age in nine European countries, using a well-being scale ranging from zero to ten.
Before any controls, men reported lower life satisfaction when the woman was the single source of income, while women were also slightly less satisfied with this situation.
(Image: Getty Images)
You couplesin Germany faced more difficulties in dealing with the dynamics of a female head of household, followed by the United Kingdom, Ireland and Spain.
However, this issue was universal across the Europe, even in countries with greater gender equality, such as Finland.
The results showed that unemployed men face greater mental difficulties when their partners are the sole financial providers.
A woman's financial responsibility places a significant psychological burden on men, to the point where they prefer their partners not to work.
Research has revealed that unemployed men report greater life satisfaction when both partners are engaged. find themselves unemployed, indicating that watching their partners work can negatively affect their self esteem.
However, when both are unemployed, unemployed men may feel that their situation is less “deviant”.
The results also highlighted that couples in which the woman is the only source of income tend to have a lower average family income, find it difficult to manage their finances and face very high levels of mental health problems, as well as a considerably lower educational level than men.
When controlling for these gender factors and attitudes, women's life satisfaction is only marginally lower when they are the only source of income. income, because socially it still falls on them the double journeys, where they are also responsible for the management of their homes, often ignored by the partner.
However, even after this control, men still report lower life satisfaction when the woman is the sole financial provider.
What is possibly behind this perception?
The traditional gender expectations of the patriarchal system, which relate masculinity to ability to financially provide for the family, still persist in many of the countries addressed in the study.
These expectations can lead to social sanctions, mental health difficulties, and isolation for men unemployed.
Women may also face pressures regarding their careers, avoiding seeking higher paying jobs or positions to avoid reinforcing gender inequalities.
Challenging this association between family breadwinners and masculinity is key to overcoming these issues and ensuring men don't feel like failures when they don't meet these expectations.