When women are sole breadwinner, men report lower life satisfaction: Study

A recent study on the gender reverse roles has shed light on how unemployment and women being the sole breadwinner impact men's well-being. In the research, it was found that when women are the sole breadwinner in heterosexual couples, men report lower life satisfaction.

The study was published in European Sociological Review in June 2023. For the research, responses from 42,000 people were analyzed.

Helena Kowalewska, an author of the study, wrote in The Conversation that, "women’s breadwinning carries such a heavy psychological burden for men that they would prefer she was not employed at all. After accounting for basic characteristics, incomes and gender attitudes, out-of-work men report significantly higher life satisfaction when both partners are jobless"

The study revealed an interesting observation regarding unemployed men's preference for their partners to also be unemployed. Additionally, it highlighted the significant distress experienced by men when their female partners become the sole breadwinners, potentially discouraging women from pursuing employment or higher-paying jobs.

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