Money Is No Object

As I read this article on CNN about women earning more than men I began to think about my own situation.  According to the article more women are out earning their spouses, at times they may make double the amount.  This can be attributed to a number of things.  One of the major things is that more women are getting advanced degrees than men are. Another issue is the economy and unemployment.  More men are being laid off then their female counterparts.  In my experience, when you get laid off, then most of the time you’re looking to find some type of work whether its more or less than you  were making before.  You just want some type of income to help take care of the household until you can get something better.  this may also lead to the disparagement in pay. He may find that less paying job and work his way back to what he was making before or higher.  since he was laid off then he is essentially starting over, while she is consistently moving forward.

I have no problem with my wife making more money than I do.  It all goes into the same pot right? Right.  I can honestly admit that while I make a decent salary, my Wife’s salary is almost double.  The fact that I am not just slumming it and I am actually attempting to make things better by working as well as going to school, its not seen as such a big obstacle to us.

Though it is not a major obstacle, this can cause stress.  When one person is bearing the weight of the finances things can become tense.  While I feel that I contribute, because I don’t make as much as she does it is not an equal distribution.  Now if a woman is consistently throwing it in her husband’s face that she is the breadwinner and he is somehow beneath her because he makes less than her, that is when the problems begin. When things get tight communication is always key.

I know that tradition and society dictates that the man is supposed to be the head of the household.  That entails bringing home the ‘bacon’ and the wife cooking it.  As times change so do those traditions.  Now it’s more likely that both the husband and the wife work, or the wife could work while the husband stays at home.  The roles and responsibilities are now shared as opposed to one person making all the rules.

While some men may feel emasculated by this, I think that it’s great that women are out there earning money and bringing it into the household, even if it is more than her male counterpart.