How is the sexual behavior of men affected when the woman has a higher income than themselves?
With the increasing proportion of women with higher income of the spouses, the traditional standard man “breadwinner” is disputed.
A Dutch study showed that men who have lower income than their partner are significantly more likely to use pills for erectile dysfunction compared to men who have a higher income than their partner.
Indeed, these findings remained significant even when the difference in income was small. Also, couples who were financially depending more on the woman’s income had a high probability to suffer from insomnia and use anxiolytics -and this was true for both men and women.
However, the above does not apply to couples who were not married, and to men who had less income than their partner before marriage.
How could this data be explained?
This study shows that marriage is an institution that defines the role of gender. In other words, for a married man is important that he is the ‘breadwinner’, but this is not true when the man is in relationship outside marriage. Moreover, the economic superiority of man is connected to his sexual behavior.
Although the study did not specify whether the men were taking drugs because the were actually experiencing erectile dysfunction or because they had a greater need to protect themselves from a potential sexual failure, it seems that the change in economic power often makes a man sexually vulnerable.
Moreover, couples who find it difficult to adapt to situations that challenge the traditional gender roles have a high probability of experiencing problems in their mental health.
Pierce L, Dahl MS, Nielsen J (2013) In sickness and in wealth: psychological and sexual costs of income comparison in marriage. Pers Soc Psychol Bull 39: 359-374.
