Filed under: News
A new study out claims that a man is more likely to cheat on his wife or live-in partner if she earns considerably more money. We found this to be the case when Sandra Bullock and Jesse James very publicly ended their marriage. Plus, Bobby Brown's infidelity was the final nail in the coffin of Whitney's ill-fated marriage to the less-wealthy crooner. But why would this be the case? Wouldn't a man so financially dependent on his mate want to keep his partner happy, and thus keep the gravy train flowing? Not so. In this study that was just published, researchers found:Cheating may be a man's way of trying to restore his gender identity when he feels it is under threat, Christin Munsch, a sociology doctorate candidate at Cornell University, says in the study, which she authored and presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association.
If this is really the case, men and women may be heading toward a sad state of affairs based on the reality of current financial conditions. As the world continues to change during these evolving economic times, traditional gender roles regarding money and relationships also need to change. Unlike in previous decades, it is not predictable which partner in a couple will be the high earner given a myriad of factors. Thus, the time has come for men and women to drop equating earning a lot of money with masculinity. Plus, being financially dependent does not equal being feminine.
Earning a lot of money is related to education, preparation, creativity and a bit of luck, not what sex you were born as. If men and women don't learn this now, the future of partnered relationships might be doomed as the world's economic structures, and related social structures, continue to be in flux. It's hard to give up old gender roles and develop new, satisfying and more realistic means of defining what it means to be masculine or feminine. But emotionally and financially speaking, for both genders, it will be worth it -- and this will greatly benefit our overall society.
Has this ever happened to you? Have you or a friend ever been cheated on because you earned more money than your partner? Or less?