Daniel slammed the door behind him and sighed. The air in the house felt heavy, suffocating. He could still hear Lisa’s words ringing in his ears.
“You’re a failure, Daniel. A man who earns less than his wife is not a real man!”
He wanted to argue, to defend himself, but what could he say? The numbers spoke for themselves. Lisa had recently been promoted, and her paycheck had nearly doubled. Meanwhile, his salary had remained the same for years. It wasn’t that he wasn’t trying—he worked hard, put in the hours, even stayed late when necessary. But his field just didn’t offer the kind of rapid financial growth that hers did.
Yet, was that really a crime?
He wasn’t lazy. If something broke in the house, he fixed it. The shelves were perfectly aligned, the faucets never leaked, the lawn was always neatly trimmed. He helped with chores, too—cooking when Lisa worked late, vacuuming, even folding laundry. But none of that seemed to matter anymore. The moment Lisa’s income surpassed his, something shifted.
She looked at him differently.
With disappointment.
With contempt.
“Daniel, if I were in your position, I would’ve already found a better-paying job. But you? You either lack ambition or you’re just plain lazy,” she spat at him that evening, her arms crossed.
Daniel clenched his fists but forced himself to stay calm.
“Lisa, you’re being unfair. You got lucky—your promotion came at the right time, in the right place. But our careers are different. My job may not pay as much, but I am valued. I’m a specialist in my field. Money isn’t the only thing that matters.”
Lisa let out a bitter laugh.
“Valued? If they truly valued you, they’d pay you accordingly! Open your eyes, Daniel. They’re using you because you’re too afraid to demand more. Just like your so-called friends—wasting time at the bar while I work my ass off! When will you wake up? You’re a failure and you don’t even realize it!”
Daniel’s stomach twisted. Deep down, he knew there was some truth to her words. Lisa was the one paying off their mortgage. She was the one making sacrifices for their future. And him? He had gotten too comfortable, too reluctant to risk change.
But was that so wrong? Was it truly his fault that his job didn’t pay more? That he wasn’t climbing the corporate ladder like she was?
Today, he got off work early. A rare moment of peace. Maybe he’d go to the gym, or even grab a drink with friends. If he took another job, one that demanded twice the hours, there’d be no time for that.
But was he really just making excuses?
Is Daniel truly lazy?
Should a man always earn more than his wife?
Or has society placed an impossible burden on men, measuring their worth solely by their paychecks?
What do you think?
