Being Sole Breadwinner is Bad For Men, Good For Women

                Men who provide the majority of their family’s income take a hit to their health and psychological wellbeing. Data gathered over 15 years from a group of men and women in heterosexual marriages showed men’s levels of health and happiness declined when they took on more financial responsibility than their partner. This could be down to psychological impact of ingrained gender roles. The psychological experience of being a breadwinner for men and women is really different. Men don’t get any brownie points for being a breadwinner it’s just the status quo, but when women were the main breadwinner, their psychological wellbeing improved.

                Psychological wellbeing was measured through questions relating to happiness, anxiety and depression. Responses to these questions as well as inquiries into the subject’s health were then analyzed in relation to which partner brought the majority of income into the family. Men’s scores took a 5% dip and health scores reduced by 3.5% when they were the primary breadwinner as opposed to taking and equal role into the family’s earnings.

                This study shows that following rigid gender roles in marriages has a negative impact on men as well as women. People think gender role are super-entrenched, and in some ways they are but for most of history men and women have worked together, and there hasn’t been a homemaker and breadwinner model. Young people report that they want to be in egalitarian relationships, where both couples contribute equally, financially and do the childcare and domestic responsibility.