Study results Men as sole providers of a family die earlier

Being the sole breadwinner of the family is bad for your health
In many families there is still the classical division of labor between women and men in this day and age. Men go to work and earn the money, while women take care of the household and the children. Researchers found that it could be bad for men's health if they were the sole provider of the family.

Researchers from the University of Connecticut (Uconn) found in an investigation that men's mental and physical health suffers when they alone have financial responsibility for the family. The American Sociological Association (ASA) published a press release on the study results.

Men harm their health by taking on the financial responsibility of the partnership on their own. So women should at least have some financial support for their men to protect their mental and physical health. (Image: Korta / fotolia.com)

Women become happier when they alone are financially responsible
The University of Connecticut study found that mental health deteriorates in men when they are the sole breadwinner with full family financial responsibility. The exact opposite effect, however, occurs in women, if they are the only provider of the family. "Women actually became happier and happier with increased responsibilities," say the researchers.

Study examines more than 3,000 married subjects
For their study, the researchers examined more than 3,000 married people between the ages of 18 and 32 years. The investigation ran from 1997 to 2011. Over this period, participants were regularly asked about their emotional well-being and health. In addition, the subjects had to detail what their income was.

Men are harmed by gender expectations
Through these surveys, Uconn's experts found that during times when men were the sole breadwinners of the family, their psychological well-being dropped by about 5 percent compared to the times when both partners worked. Also, the physical health of the subjects decreased by 3.5 percent, if they were the sole financial responsibility.

"The study has shown that men are harmed by gender-specific expectations," explains Professor Christin Munsch. "Normally, such expectations are more likely to disadvantage women in marriage. For example, women often do the lion's share of housework. "

Men should be supported in their financial responsibilities by their wives
Men are generally expected to be the breadwinner of the family. "But little or no help with financial responsibility has a negative impact on men's health," explain the scientists. "The results could be different for women because they have an alternative to the forced role of a housewife by feeding the family," the researchers write. "In addition, women do not have the cultural pressure to be the family provider," the experts add. Having sole financial responsibility improves emotional health in women but has no impact on physical health. If men make much more money than their wives, they can get the sense of financial responsibility. "As a result, the same worries develop, as with a man who earns his own," says Professor Munsch.

The division of economic responsibility benefits men and women
The researchers also looked at other alternative explanations for the results found, such as age, education, income, number of working hours, and number of children. But none of these factors could explain the results of the study. "The results of our research are good news for modern couples who share the financial burden and care of the family," the doctors write. While mental health and health generally improve among men when women take more economic responsibility, the psychological well-being of women also improves as they assume more economic responsibility. (As)