Nowadays, especially in the US' tanked economy, many women became the main 'bread-winners'. In many families, if both partners are fine with it & the guy doesn't get his ego twisted into a bunch & the woman does not become arrogant & castrating, it can work! I know of a couple here where the wife is a doctor & the husband is a stay-at-home dad with their 3 kids. It is working out well for them since he really is an excellent father & she has a busy practice.
I think what needs to happen is that, somehow, we need to reconsider (& SCRAP!) rigid sociologically based gender roles. Why does being a man at home with kids magically diminish 'manhood' (what: does it cause testicular shrinkage?!?). 'Traditional' roles were unsatisfying for both men & women. They left the overwhelming majority of men, who were paid low salaries by the hour, with tremendous responsibility for an ever-growing family BUT an income that did not increase proportionately (remember: there was no birth control). They left women disenfranchised, infantalized, marginalized & reduced to dependent baby-machines. Although the word 'tradition' conjures up positive images of stability & continuity for many, when examined under the cold light of reality, it did a great disservice to many.
Traditionalism enshrined rigid sex roles, rigid (& grossly unequal) gender roles, excluded sexual diversity, promoted racism & a host of other intolerant attitudes that stymied the progress of entire societies.
Those who refer to money as 'the root of all evil' or 'filthy lucre' are typically those who did not grow up with much of it & do not have any now. It is a socially acceptable prejudice against those whom they have never really met, gotten to know & understand & cannot relate to...so they make generalizations & stereotypes. Filthy rich is one such remark that people bandy about readily. Imagine casually making a remark about 'the dirt poor'? Unacceptable. After the mortgage meltdown & bail-outs in the US, an 'anti 1%' attitude took root. Suddenly, all wealthy people became evil, greedy psychopaths almost overnight! Beneath that 1%, allegedly, are the 99% who are down-trodden by these rich villains. What a crock! Beneath that 1% are many other distinct categories of high income earners.
Money does not make you corrupt & unethical unless you were corrupt & unethical in the first place. If, as a poor person, you were a conniving, bullying little $#!T. Wealth will make you a rich conniving, bullying little $#!T. All that changes is the scale & scope of your reach. Many wealthy people donate the bulk of their vast fortunes to charities (Bill Gates & Warren Buffet). If you are a shopaholic who cannot manage a small income & you live beyond your means putting frivolous items on layaway & you accrete unsecured debt, if you get millions, you'll be that person with heaps of stupid items (gold-plated toilet, gemstone encrusted collar for your dog...).
Many people who were raised in poverty go bananas with the spending when they suddenly get money. Many so-called celebrities are like this. Think of all the rappers, sports starts & other entertainer-types (Oprah) who go stuff-happy. It is almost like they are fulfilling that childhood dream from when they had so little,"One day when I'm rich, I'll have_________ (300 pair of Nikes, 250 designer purses, a diamond as big as Wisconsin...). People who inherit their wealth (NOT celebrity kids!) or who were raised in the upper middle class & then become rich do not do this. THAT is why it is called 'nouveau riche'.
Looking down on richer people & making snarky remarks about wealth will not add a single digit to one's own bottom line. It also is a form of snobbishness peculiar to working/lower middle class people, many of whom are resentful of their own circumstances. THere is also some jealousy/envy evident there too. I have a relative like this. He dropped out of college, never accomplished anything, drank & partied, spent like Rockefeller on a Burger King budget (broke & in debt). He had every opportunity, but in his case, he was selfish & lazy. Now, with 2 kids & an unskilled labour job, he delights in anything that slings mud at more successful people. ANYTHING to draw the eye away from his own mediocrity. This guy does not have Asperger's or any mitigating factor: he was just selfish, lazy & immature. His incredible self-righteousness & judgmental attitude render him one of the snootiest people I've ever encountered.
What money does for you is gives you a tremendous amount of control over your time, your life & your options. You can even create options & not have to choose from amongst those dictated by society or any other body. IF you are an out of control or degenerate person (think Mayor Ford of Toronto, Michael Jackson etc.) you will crash & burn & screw all up. IF you have unclear boundaries & only a vague notion of who you are & what you want & what you value, money will render your boundaries even more porous & you will be subject to all kinds of influences you are better off without. Instead of, maybe, smoking 1 joint too many, you will snort veritable heaps of cocaine!
Money acts as a magnifying glass: it just makes you more of who & whatever it was you already were.
