New Principal research shows that work-related financial stress follows employees home, impacting romantic relationships.
Stress from work doesn’t stay at the office. New Principal research shows that work‑related financial stress follows employees home, impacting romantic relationships. While financial strain and relationship strain are often treated as separate challenges, the data reveals they are deeply intertwined. Pay anxiety, career ambiguity, and the competing pressures on working caregivers increasingly affect how people show up for the people that matter most.
- Nearly 1 in 4 employees (24%) say work stress frequently harms their romantic relationships.
- The impact is especially pronounced among:
- Gen Zers (38% vs. 21% for all other generations combined)
- Men (29% vs. 19% of women)
- Employees who feel underpaid are 78% more likely to say work stress negatively affects their romantic relationships.
- Men’s overall life satisfaction increases 6.7x more than women’s (which holds steady) when they’re the top earner in their household, underscoring how earnings still shape self-worth, confidence, and emotional dynamics at home.
- When people don’t feel they’re paid fairly, the group they’re most likely to lie to about money isn’t friends or coworkers—it’s their spouse or partner.
- Caregivers are 74% more likely than non-caregivers to experience work stress spilling into their romantic relationships, highlighting how financial pressure, emotional labor, and time scarcity collide at home.
“Stress from work doesn’t stay at the office—it follows people home and is having an impact on the relationships that matter most. Employers have an opportunity to ease that burden by providing clarity and support that strengthens employees’ well-being both at work and in their personal lives.”
Amy Friedrich
President, Benefits and Protection, Principal®
