So, yesterday we were discussing women with trophy stay-at-home husbands in the parenting section of MSN, where they alluded to the concern that the trophy SAHD might stray when his wife is making so much more money.

And then this morning, in the men’s health section, MSN serves up statistical proof. Sort of. Turns out that ‘only’ 7% of the test population males cheated (3% of the women did, too), but of the ones who cheated, a healthy chunk of them were cheating on women who made more money.

There’s nothing new here, really. I think we all could have guessed that a man making significantly less than his wife might feel a need to prove his manhood in, ahem, other ways.

But what really caught my eye was the comment from the sociologist running the study: “’I think American standards of what it means to be a man are a lot to live up to.’ Men who are viewed, or view themselves, as not upholding the male ideal may come to feel inadequate.”

Well, duh. Welcome to the I’m Feeling Inadequate Club! American women have been furnishing it and making it a cozy retreat for quite some time. I have spent the better part of twenty-one years worrying that I’m not making enough money AND not having the spit-shiniest children AND about the house that may or may not be Board-of-Health certifiable.

As usual, women are more efficient than men. We’ve been fretting about twice as much for twice as long, and we’ve actually produced something in the end (both ends, when you think about it) and all without becoming the Statistical Poster Children for Infidelity.

I know it wasn’t a contest, but we just won it. I think.

© E. S. Evans 2010