Man Praised for Calling Out Girlfriend Over Brag About Earning More Money

A man has earned the backing of the internet after taking issue with his fiancée for bragging about earning more money than he does.

While women still earn less than men on average across the U.S., figures produced by the Pew Research Center indicate the gender pay gap has narrowed among younger workers.

More significantly, in 22 out of 205 U.S. metropolitan areas, women under the age of 30 were found to earn either the same or more than their male counterparts. Although there are signs of a shift in this dynamic, it's not one that is going to necessarily sit well with all men.

In fact, a study of 6,000 American heterosexual married couples found when women made more money past a certain point, their partners became "increasingly uncomfortable" and stressed at the shift.

One man currently feeling stressed about his fiancée's role as the breadwinner in their relationship recently took to Reddit to vent his frustrations - but he wasn't angry about the fact she is earning more money—rather with how she is spending it.

Writing under the handle Dough_Duo in a post upvoted over 16,000 times, he explained how they recently moved in together just before getting engaged.

The plan was always to split everything "50/50 down the middle," having moved into a small apartment they rent from her parents so they can "save money" for their own place and their eventual wedding.

Though he had no issue with her earning more money, explaining he is "proud of her" for doing so, he did notice before they lived together that she "always seemed like she was living paycheck to paycheck" though he "chalked it up to the apartment she had prior having insanely high rent."

However, despite their reduced outgoings since then she is now "back to living paycheck to paycheck" and is "either missing or very late with her part of the rent monthly, the two utilities we pay, groceries [and] her car payment."

Her parents have spoken to her "multiple times" about being late on the rent and he said he has had to cover her missing payments on several occasions while she "caught up." "On top of that, I pay my own bills, do about 65 per cent housework, arrange and pay for most of our dates and vacations, gifts for her, pay most towards our pets," he added.

Despite these issues, he said she often "boasts about being the breadwinner" and talks often about "the stresses of being the main source of income."

Though he had been happy to let this slide, things came to a head during a get-together with her sister where he heard her talking the fact he "doesn't mind me bringing home the pay."

Angry at the claim, he told her "just because she earns more doesn't make her the breadwinner when she blows it all on herself" and leaves him to pay the bills.

The outburst left his fiancée angry, but for many on social media, it was entirely justified. In fact, many urged him to confront her over the issue, warning that they could face bigger problems in the future.

"You need to sort out her financial irresponsibility before you marry, or things aren't going to get better," one person wrote, with another commenting: "If she absolutely cannot stop spending the way she is, you may need to cut her loose. Money is one of the biggest factors in divorce."

For some, other issues were at play. One concerned Redditor noted: "I think the major problem is actually the way she's willing to throw you under the bus ALL the time in front of others, act as though she's the breadwinner and you're the lucky mooch."

Another commenter agreed, writing: "She was frustrated that you embarrassed her, but she was willing to embarrass you over and over. You need to point this out to her."

Elsewhere, one money-conscious Redditor urged the man to try and get his fiancée to "open her finances" to him so he can see "what is going on" with her money. "You need to know what is going on now so you know what to look for in the future," they added.

Returning to the thread, the man revealed that while the engagement has not been called off, they have put their wedding plans on hold until her money issues are resolved.

Newsweek has contacted Dough_Duo for comment.