MAN’S WIFE EARNS MORE THAN TWICE HIS SALARY, FEELS PRESSURE TO MATCH HER EARNINGS

My [24M] wife [24F] earns more than twice what I earn
Hi everyone. I am in a wonderful relationship with my wife, and we are almost 2 years married.

My only concern is that she earns significantly more than me and I feel pressure to progress my career to match her earnings. She is extremely ambitious and career driven. To be fair, she doesn’t mind being the main provider in the house and neither do I.

However, with such a large disparity, and especially now that we are considering buying a house, I feel guilty about not contributing as much as her. I get angry to myself about it.

Is there anyone in a similar situation who could give me advice on how to deal with this?

Netizens’ comments

1. If she doesn’t mind, then you shouldn’t either. The idea that you HAVE to absolutely make more than your wife is old news. Your wife is a hard worker and happy to help provide for the both of you. Sounds like you have a great wife.
2. I’m the main breadwinner in my marriage, and I want my spouse to be happy with what she is doing for work. I don’t care how much or how little she makes.
3. The best thing to do here is to just sit down and talk over your feelings with her. You guys are married, she should be able to lend an understanding ear for you and help you with whatever you are worried about!
4. My partner earns close to 3x what I earn. We are not married, but if we do decide to take that next step, buying a house, splitting certain financial things may seem unbalanced but it doesn’t have to be. You don’t have to buy a house you’re not confortbale with based on your finances. You also don’t have to be uncomfortable with not being able to contribute exactly 50/50 towards a nicer home if that’s the forever home you both want and your partner doesnt mind putting more towards it initially.
   I think it’s always good to be motivated to progress in life by your partner, but try to look at it in a positive way. The fact that my partner makes nearly 3x my salary definitely makes me want to progress and increase my salary, but I want that for me, not necessarily to be “as good” as her, because I’m not any lesser just because my salary is less. I want to progress for my own self worth. It’s just motivating, but in a positive sense.
   You just need to talk about this stuff and remember that you guys can work on spending mutually on things that match a budget you both agree on so it’s not such an issue for larger purchases. Also remember that it’s not emasculating to make less that a partner. Anyone who says so or jokes about it beyond anything playful is not someone you want to be around anyway. Be a good partner and that’s what matters the most.