What’s behind this increase? If you said the economy, you’d be wrong, says Liza Mundy, author of The Richer Sex: How the New Majority of Female Breadwinners is Transforming Sex, Love and Family. Or at least that’s not the only reason. A number of factors—such as women now earning 60 percent of college degrees and men being more willing to make sacrifices for the sake of women’s careers—play a part in bumping up women’s paychecks.
This rise of female breadwinners is making for some interesting gender shifts—changes that will continue to grow as women continue to earn, Mundy says. Check out what she says is in store for women and men: Women will want more nookie. “Women feel empowered by their earning power, and this can lead to wanting more sex,” says Mundy. The catch: If her partner feels emasculated by earning less—and she feels like she can’t talk about her job success at home—then her sex life will suffer.
The kitchen is the new garage. “Men are becoming much more domesticated,” says Mundy. The number of hours men spend cooking is rising as it drops for women—shifts Mundy predicts will keep going as women spend increasing hours out in the working world. Mr. Mom will become more of the norm. While 74 percent of men in 1977 said women should raise the kids and men should earn the income, only 40 percent think so today. And the stats back it up, Mundy says, as dads are choosing to spend more time with their kids than previous generations. Plus, with more moms working, dads need to step in for child care responsibilities. Guys will spend more time primping. As more women start to out-earn men, women will be less willing to alter their appearance—such as changing their hair or losing weight—to please a mate. Men, on the other hand, will need to bring their A-game in the looks department since a high paycheck won’t be enough to attract a mate, says Mundy. Also see: How Venus And Mars Unwind, Make Peace With Your Stress, What Kind Of Angry Are You?
