Studies Show

‘Traditionally Masculine’ Men Can’t Deal With Women Who Make More Money

A few weeks back, we learned about a study that purportedly proved “meathead”-type guys were more likely to be sexist. And while we hate to reinforce negative stereotypes toward anyone, we’ve discovered yet another macho-guy-bashing report today.

A new study from Fordham researchers claims that men who hold more traditional views on masculinity and femininity — and have so-called macho tendencies — have a hard time dating or marrying women who make more than them. A write-up from the Doctors Lounge blog explains:

The stronger a man’s belief in traditional masculinity, the more likely he was to believe that the difference in income was important and the more likely he was to report a low-quality relationship, according to researchers Patrick Coughlin and Jay Wade at Fordham University in New York City.

Sure, it’s not all that shocking a revelation. “Tough guy likes to make more money” isn’t exactly an uncommon phenomenon. And the report also showed that men with more evolved gender ideals were more comfortable with a Jane who brought in extra dough (I couldn’t help myself). Still, this study proves something very important: That money — and men and women’s relationships to it — is inextricably linked to our ideas of what men and women should “be” and how they should act. And while we often talk about how inflexible gender roles hurt women, the study shows they harm men as well, in the form of unhappy relationships. After all, snubbing your lady because she brought home a fat paycheck isn’t exactly the recipe for romance.

TAGS: women and money

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