A man’s psychological fit at work tends to increase when his financial values align with his partner’s

A recent study published in the Journal of Business and Psychology suggests that a man’s sense of fulfillment at work is deeply tied to how well his views on money align with his romantic partner’s views. The research provides evidence that when a man and his female partner share the same beliefs about whether money represents personal success, the man tends to feel more satisfied that his job meets his psychological needs.

Workplace science typically treats money as an individual pursuit. Most studies examine how a single employee’s salary or desire for wealth affects their personal motivation or job satisfaction. This individualistic approach leaves out a major part of modern life. Today, a large portion of the workforce consists of dual-earner couples. These are households where both partners have jobs and make joint decisions about their finances and careers.

Within these households, money carries emotional and psychological weight. It acts as a symbol of deeply held values. The researchers wanted to understand how partners in a dual-earner household align on specific financial beliefs.

“Research has rightfully explored the disproportionate load that women in dual-earner households take on when it comes to domestic tasks and work responsibilities,” said study author Sharmeen Merchant, a PhD candidate at the University of Cincinnati.

“In this work, we wanted to take a more holistic perspective on gender to explore how men are grappling with the societal shift towards more equitable approaches to work and life. Specifically, we were interested in shifts in money attitudes, and how both men and women consider their partner’s views on money when it comes to their job perceptions.”

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Specifically, they focused on a concept known as “money as achievement.” This is the belief that financial earnings serve as a direct measure of personal success and accomplishment. People who hold this belief tend to view their income as a reflection of their ultimate worth, pushing them to seek higher pay as a form of validation.

The scientists also wanted to explore how this shared or unshared belief affects an employee’s “needs-supplies fit.” This term describes the degree to which a person feels their current job provides what they psychologically require, such as a sense of competence or esteem.

Based on social role theory, the scientists expected to find differences between men and women. Social role theory suggests that society places different expectations on people based on their gender. Men are frequently pressured to act as the primary financial providers, leading them to tie money closely to their masculine identity.

Women in dual-earner partnerships frequently navigate disproportionate caregiving and domestic demands in addition to their jobs. Because of these differing social pressures, the researchers predicted that men would be more sensitive to how well their financial values aligned with their partner’s values.

To test these ideas, the researchers recruited 178 heterosexual dual-income couples, resulting in a total sample of 356 individuals. The participants resided in the United States and the United Kingdom. On average, the participants were about 37 years old and earned an average individual income of roughly $55,000 per year.

To be included in the study, both partners in the couple had to work at least 30 hours per week. They also had to report an annual income of over $10,000.

The research team conducted the study in two separate phases using online recruitment tools. In the first phase, both partners answered questions about their personal views on money. They rated how strongly they agreed with statements linking wealth to personal achievement, allowing the scientists to capture their exact financial mindsets.

About ten to fourteen days later, the participants completed a second survey. This follow-up survey measured their needs-supplies fit at work to see how their career felt in the moment. Participants answered a series of questions about whether their current job offered exactly what they were looking for in a long-term career.

The findings support the idea that financial alignment within a couple affects men and women differently. For men, experiencing a high needs-supplies fit at work was directly linked to sharing similar views on money as achievement with their female partners. When a man and his partner were completely on the same page regarding wealth, the man felt that his job was much more psychologically fulfilling.

This boost in job fit was highest when the couple aligned at the extremes. If both partners strongly believed that money equals achievement, the man’s job fit increased. Similarly, if both partners strongly agreed that money does not represent achievement, the man also reported high job fit.

In the latter case, the couple likely shared alternative motivations outside of financial gain. This shared lack of interest in money as a status symbol still provided the man with a sense of security. Knowing his partner supported his non-financial goals helped him find satisfaction in his daily work.

“Men’s experience of fulfillment at work is intertwined with their partner’s views on money,” Merchant told PsyPost. “This paper was the first to acknowledge that money is not made in isolation, but within a household.”

The researchers also noticed a unique pattern when couples aligned in the middle. When both partners held moderate views on whether money represents achievement, men reported the lowest levels of job fit. The scientists suspect that this middle ground creates a sense of lingering uncertainty.

“What surprised us was that men’s fulfillment was lowest not when couples had completely opposing financial values, but when they were only moderately misaligned,” Merchant explained. “We initially expected that greater value differences would correspond with lower fulfillment at work. Instead, it appears that partial misalignment creates a kind of ‘messy middle,’ where ambiguity about a partner’s financial priorities may undermine perceptions of fit at work.”

For women, the results painted a different picture. The researchers found no relationship between a couple’s alignment on financial beliefs and a woman’s needs-supplies fit at work. Whether a woman and her partner agreed or disagreed about money as an indicator of success had no impact on how she viewed her job.

This suggests that women evaluate their work fulfillment using a broader range of contextual factors. Because societal norms often expect women to prioritize family over financial ambition, their psychological fit at work may rely less on monetary achievement. Instead, their job satisfaction might depend more on flexibility or work-life balance.

While the study provides nuanced insights into dual-earner households, there are a few limitations to keep in mind. First, the researchers only measured people’s attitudes about money. They did not measure whether the participants were actually achieving their financial goals in real life. Future studies could investigate how reaching specific financial milestones interacts with these psychological beliefs over time.

Future research could also look beyond the gender binary and traditional heterosexual couples. “While our study takes a binary view on gender, this approach is far from complete,” Merchant said. “We recognize that alternative gender identifications warrant greater attention when it comes to financial values and job perceptions.”

The scientists suggest that measuring a couple’s specific personality traits, such as their tendencies to be competitive or nurturing, might offer a more precise understanding of these workplace outcomes. Exploring these dynamics in non-Western cultures could also reveal how different societal norms shape the way couples view money and career success.

“While our study adopted a Western sample (US and UK based), we aim to undertake future research to study dual earners in varied cultural backgrounds, considering that both gender roles and money attitudes vary across cultural and national landscapes,” Merchant told PsyPost. “We would also encourage research that explores money values across alternative gender identifications. Currently, we are also working on a study on the work implications of financial stress.”

The study, “Gender Differences on Dual‑Earners’ Money as Achievement Congruence and Needs‑Supplies Fit,” was authored by Sharmeen M. Merchant, Scott B. Dust, Laurens Bujold Steed, Sodiq Babatunde, and Joseph Rode.