The paranoia of masculinity is still breathing under the air of women empowerment. Men are still conscious of their age-old reputation of being the sole breadwinners of their families. A study by the University of Bath researchers brought these facts to book. The results throw light on the non-linear relationship between the stress levels of husbands and the share of their wives earnings in the household income.

It seems like the researchers of the University of Bath were keen to test the validity of worldwide claims of women empowerment and normal reactions of men to the ongoing process. They went ahead to discover the gamut of these claims by taking more than 6000 American heterosexual couples under the purview of their study. The researchers studied the psychological, emotional and health facet of their relationships for 15 years.

Finally, they ended up compiling their observations to bring out some concrete conclusions. And the results are stunning. According to the study, there exists a non-linear relationship between the stress levels of husbands and the share of their wives earnings in the household income.

As per the study, torrents of stress are at their peaks for husbands when they are the sole earners of their families. With their wives stepping in the shoes of earning class, their stress levels go down the hill. It is due to the decrease in the burden of meeting the demands of the entire family alone on the husbands. But this trend does not last long.

As the share of their wives earnings in the household income crosses the mark of 40%, their stress levels begin to trace their upward trend. The reason for this upward trend is the insecurity of husbands. They start feeling low as they lose their crown of being the sole bread earners of the family to their wives. Thus, societal pressures make them go out of the peace of their minds.

Shedding some light on the results, Joanna Syrda (an economist at the University’s School of Management) shared, “These findings suggest that social norms about male breadwinning—and traditional conventions about men earning more than their wives—can be dangerous for men’s health”.

Adding to that, she said, “This is a large study but of a specific group—other conventions apply in other groups and societies and the results may change as time moves on. However, the results are strong enough to point to the persistence of gender identity norms, and to their part in male mental health issues”.

Not just that, the study also points the rise in the number of married women earning more than their husbands. As per the study, the number increased from 13 % in 1980 to 30% in 2017. Also, the study has brought out the fact that men are more likely to hide their stress vis-a-vis their wives.

So after looking at the results, one can conclude that the shades of masculinity still dominate the pressure points of the society. They are inviting the pending mental problems that may rage in the lives of men owing to stress.

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