Men Are 15% More Likely To Cheat On This Type Of Woman, According To Research
Some men just have fragile egos.
Anastasia Shuraeva | Pexels In the olden days, men were expected to bring home the bacon while women tended to the home. I remember Mami bringing Papi his plate of food at every meal, washing dishes and sweeping daily, and spending every minute of her day catering to her children’s needs. Did those traditional gender roles in marriage prevent infidelity? Not exactly, but researchers have found that as the role of women in the home changes, men are struggling to remain faithful.
Mami’s job was that of “mom” and “wife.” Now, however, ama de casas (or, housewives) are few and far between. Women are just as educated and successful as men, and we sometimes make more money than our hombres. That breadwinning change is where the trouble lies, apparently.
A study found that men are more likely to cheat on women who make more money than they do.
Overall, married men are more likely to cheat than married women. That's just statistics. And while there could be countless reasons for infidelity, a study from 2015 found some interesting statistics about what is motivating men to stray in regards to the changing societal dynamics in modern relationships.
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Researchers pooled data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth between 2001 and 2011 and analyzed 2,757 heterosexual individuals in relationships between the ages of 18 and 32, examining the amount of money they earned individually.
What they discovered was shocking. Men who earn more money than their wives are less likely to cheat. Once a woman becomes the breadwinner, however, there is a 15% chance that he will be unfaithful. Sounds like a bit of an inferiority complex.
The research found that the more women earn, the less likely they are to cheat.
Because everything men and women do seems to always be in direct contrast to each other, it should be no surprise that the researchers found that when women start making the big bucks, their inclination to cheat goes way down. It makes you think that fidelity is seriously linked to self-esteem and self-worth, right?
Study author Christin L. Munsch explained, “Women who outearn their husbands challenge the status quo,” said Munsch, noting that, according to her research, women are least likely to have an extramarital affair when they make 100% of a couple’s total income. “Previous research finds that women who are primary breadwinners are acutely aware of the ways in which they deviate from the cultural expectation that equates men with breadwinning. Consequently, previous research finds these women suffer from increased anxiety and insomnia and engage in what sociologists call ‘deviance neutralization behaviors.'”
Well, that's kind of depressing. She offered the following example: "Women who are the primary breadwinners in their marriages often minimize their achievements, defer to their spouses, and increase their housework. 'This emotional and physical work is designed to decrease interpersonal conflict and shore up their husbands’ masculinity,'" she noted.
Whereas men who start to make closer and closer to the same amount of money as their spouse, their chances of cheating begin to lower until their total income reaches 70% of what the couple brings in together as total income. Then, they have a higher chance of cheating again.
Men who cheat because they earn less are trying to bolster their masculinity.
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As it turns out, those breadwinner women are also pretty smart because they downplay their accomplishments to try to make their insecure husbands feel better about themselves. Unfortunately, putting themselves down and taking on more work at home only hurts themselves because those insecure guys who only see their worth in a paycheck are going to cheat anyway.
Munsch said, “Extramarital sex allows men undergoing a masculinity threat — that is, not being primary breadwinners, as is culturally expected — to engage in behavior culturally associated with masculinity.” She went on to say, “For men, especially young men, the dominant definition of masculinity is scripted in terms of sexual virility and conquest, particularly with respect to multiple sex partners. Thus, engaging in infidelity may be a way of reestablishing threatened masculinity. Simultaneously, infidelity allows threatened men to distance themselves from, and perhaps punish, their higher-earning spouses.”
What these men and their fragile versions of masculinity fail to realize is that when a woman is financially independent, she is not afraid to divorce you. Financial independence gives women options that go well beyond staying in an unhappy marriage because she has no money and no career opportunities.
What's important to note, however, is that as Muncsh herself stated, this isn't a blanket statistic. Every relationship is different, and not all men feel emasculated by earning less than their wives. She said, "If you make more money than your partner, your partner isn't 100% likely to cheat." Unfortunately, you may not know how your partner truly feels about earning less than you until after it happens.
The best thing you can do to combat a situation where someone gets upset and frustrated because they are not the ones bringing in the most money is to talk it out. For any type of relationship, communication must be present so there are no assumptions taking place, as well as negative emotions towards one's spouse.
If talking doesn't resolve the situation, just remember: Don't compromise your own success for another person. If a spouse truly cares for you and loves you as they should, they will support you regardless of your income. Never sacrifice your financial independence or your happiness in the hopes of saving your relationship. It won't work out the way you want it to.
Sujeiry Gonzalez is a content creator, web designer, and podcast host.
