You have a job you’ve always wanted and are doing well, even making more money than your husband.
But beware, women who are the primary breadwinners in their families are more likely to pay the price of divorce.
Researchers admit it’s not clear what causes this problem, but it may be due to men’s self-esteem being bruised by not being the primary breadwinner in the family.
The findings come from a 25-year study that analyzed the marriages of more than 2,500 couples. Other studies have previously shown that stay-at-home men are more likely to have extramarital affairs.
With nearly a third of British women earning more than their husbands, there are likely to be millions of people who are skeptical of the study’s findings.
These US researchers studied the marriages and incomes of more than 2,500 women, all of whom first married between 1979 and 2002.
They found that women who earned more money than their husbands were 38 percent more likely to get divorced than other women.
Jay Tichman of Western Washington University says there may be several reasons behind this data.
For example, financial independence makes it easier for women to find a way out of an unhappy marriage.
Frustrated self-esteem – on both sides – could also be one of the reasons.
Professor Tichman said, “Men’s ‘damaged self-esteem’ can lead to tension in the relationship. It may also be the case that some women have a negative attitude toward a partner who earns less than they do.”
Suddenly longer working hours have also been associated with marital breakdown, according to a report in the American Journal of Family Psychology.
One example of this phenomenon was the breakup of Kate Winslet’s marriage to assistant director Jim Capleton in 2001, whose failure was blamed on the actress’ burgeoning film career.
This year, singer Charlotte Chelsea broke up with her rugby player fiancé, Gavin Hansen, who, friends noted, makes much less money than she does.
For a happy marriage, Professor Tichman suggests that the ratio of men’s to women’s income should be 60/40, and that the husband should be the one who makes the most money.
His findings are similar to a recently released US study that says men who are financially dependent on their significant others are more likely to cheat – and the larger the income gap, the more likely men are to cheat.
For example, stay-at-home men whose wives work all day are five times more likely to have an affair than men who make comparable money to their wives.
Men with low incomes may use affairs as a way to regain their manhood, Cornell University researchers said.