Husband Is Annoyed With Wife Keeping Secrets About Her Job And Having Free Time, Tells Her To Find Another One

There's this outdated stereotype that believes in men being breadwinners. But in the increasingly progressing and empowering society where gender equality is seen as one of the greatest values, this is becoming a thing of the past.

Yet, this research from the University of Bath showed that husbands are least stressed when their wives earn up to 40% of household income, but they become increasingly uncomfortable as their spouse's wages rise beyond that point and are most stressed when they are entirely economically dependent on their partner. In other words, they are not happy if their female partner is making more than them.

This story from the AITA subreddit is basically this theory put into practice. “While I find myself struggling with money and having to have to borrow from the joint bank account, my wife never has this problem,” an anonymous husband who goes by the handle TAwifework35 wrote recently.

Turns out, what makes him frustrated in particular is how he gets back to work only to see his wife “chilling (watching TV, playing video games, reading or exercising) or shopping or in the gym.” Fed up with her “wasting her day,” he confronted her with a demand that people say is simply delusional.

“Studies have shown that when their wives earn more, some men can get more stressed or anxious,” Jane Parker, a relationship coach, told Bored Panda. “They are happy for their wives to contribute financially (this relieves stress), but some men start to feel anxious or insecure when their wives contribute over 40% of the household income.”

Parker believes that it is becoming more common for women to earn more: “Currently, 30% of women earn more in the U.S,” she said. “It’s less common for men to get upset about it as many men are proud of their wives being successful and realize that supporting and being proud of their wife's career is part of being a team within a healthy marriage.”

According to the relationship coach, the traditional roles for men and women have changed dramatically but the expectations of more earning power can remain for some men.” This can affect their feelings of worth within the relationship and they can struggle to see their role and contribution.”

Moreover, “If a man believes he 'should' be earning more than his wife, or he is under peer pressure to do so, then this can affect the marriage, how he feels about himself and how he relates to his wife,” Parker concluded.