The effect could be seen even in families where the wife’s salary was only slightly higher than the husband’s
They already have to suffer the indignity of being out-earned by their wives.
Now it seems men married to high-flying women may also be under-performing in the bedroom.
A study found that husbands who earn less than their spouses are more likely to take Viagra and similar drugs than those who are the main breadwinners.
The researchers aren’t sure why, but loss of pride, plus anger and frustration may all play a role.
The study was carried out in Denmark, the setting of the popular political TV drama Borgen, in which a female prime minister grapples with the complexities of ruling the country while her husband runs their home and looks after their children.
Difficulty: Men whose wives earn more than they do are more likely to take viagra, according to a new study
The Danish and US researchers began by studying salary on prescription data on more than 200,000 married couples.
This revealed Viagra and other drugs for impotence, or erectile dysfunction, to be extra-popular in households in which the woman was the main earner.
The effect could be seen even in families in which the wife’s salary was only slightly higher than the husband’s.
The researchers said: ‘Even small differences in relative income are associated with large changes in erectile dysfunction medication usage when they shift the marriage from a male to a female breadwinner.’
And a wage difference of £10,000 or so, in the woman’s favour, doubled the odds of Viagra use.
Interestingly, the phenomenon was not seen in couples in which the woman had always been the higher earner.
Instead, it was limited to those in which the female overtook the male during the course of their relationship.
New research: Researchers say that even small differences in income are associated with large changes in viagra use
This suggests that loss of pride may be at the heart of the matter.
Writing in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, the researchers said that the growing trend for women to be the main breadwinners challenges the traditional role of the man as the economic provider and so places them under psychological pressure.
‘Male sexual desire is linked to cultural and social factors such as patriarchy, money and social networks, potentially causing men to suffer reduced sexual desire or dysfunction when perceiving their traditional provider role to be usurped.
‘Anger and frustration can lead to serious sexual problems such as erectile dysfunction.’
Backing up their theory was the finding that men who were out-earned by their wives were more likely to take sleeping tablets and antidepressants than others.
Comparisons: The study was carried out in Denmark, the setting of the popular political TV drama Borgen (pictured), in which a female prime minister grapples with the complexities of ruling the country while her husband runs their home and looks after their children
Their high-salaried wives also suffered, with the prescription data showing them to be more reliant on pills to ease anxiety and help them sleep.
The research team pointed out that Denmark is one of the most progressive countries in regards to women’s rights and so male pride could be even more dented in other countries.
It concluded: ‘We in no way suggest that the trend towards female breadwinners is socially harmful; greater equality and opportunity for women present undeniable economic and social benefits.
‘Nor do we argue that all men will respond to upward income comparisons negatively; many husbands are proud of and attracted to high-earning wives.
‘Yet recent evidence suggests that gender roles have changed little over the past 20 years.
‘If social norms against female breadwinners continue to be strong, increasing female income will produce real costs in marriage, including the anxiety, insomnia and erectile dysfunction identified here.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2277834/A-wifes-higher-salary-affect-men-bedroom-Those-paid-wives-likely-viagra.html#ixzz2Kk8brDYW
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
