Are Men More Insecure With Mates Who Earn More Money?

Women are bringing more bacon home than ever, studies have shown.

Reports showed that in 1998 some 10.5 million women earned more than their husbands. In fact, the portion of couples in which the woman is the chief breadwinner has been increasing so much that nearly one in three working wives nationwide now is paid more than her husband, compared with fewer than one in five in 1980.

With this increasing amount of women who are earning more money than their mates, many men, according to experts, are having a difficult time adjusting.

Why is that? Could it be that men have become insecure about having their mate bring home a larger paycheck?

JET recently spoke with experts to find out, Are men more insecure with mates who earn more money?

Cheryl Broussard, a financial and small business information consultant who has encountered several couples within whom the woman earns more than the man--some ending in divorce--believes that men are more insecure with mates who earn more money because traditionally money has been equated with power in most marriages.

"Men equate money, power and self-esteem. They are all intertwined together for them. It's a blow to their ego when they don't earn as much as their mate, because they feel like they are not being a man. It's ingrained in their DNA to be the breadwinner," said Broussard who authored the books The Black Women's Guide To Financial Independence and Sister CEO: The Black Woman's Guide To Starting Your Own Business.

Another reason Broussard expressed that she feels men are more insecure with mates who earn more money is that the person who brings home the bigger paycheck in many marriages, she added, is oftentimes the one who has the most power.

"In our society, whoever has the most money, has the most power, whether you're a man or a woman, Black or White. That is something our society says. We are very money-hungry, which is the reason for this,' she maintained.

Broussard said that men must be prepared to accept the fact that it isn't unusual for women to bring home more bacon.

"This is a new era and times have changed. There is a huge possibility that women are going to make more than they are. Don't fight women on it. Allow it to be. Come in with the mind-set to be a team and unit. They must communicate and form a partnership," she noted.

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