.....”It’s the coarsening of the culture”....
That IS the truth Windflier...to be sure.
I recall when I was a homemaker and loved my job....after loosing my husband after 20 yrs it was a jolt to go into the working “class” world. That in itself either toughens up a women or it eats you alive. I had more than my share of nibbles working in the sales field!
But I discovered that somehow when men get home from work they can turn work off....where when a women gets home she simply sees another job to do. A women has to find a balance in this....
It was not long for me to discover the best balance for my life was part-time work, so I worked hard to position myself so I could do that with enough income to support myself. But it took a few years of the 9-5’s to get there.
I also think it depends on the $$$ one wants to make...I chose to have a leaner income because I valued my time. But I have noted today men do look at women now as income and judge accordingly.
I’m sorry about your prior relationship breaking up. It is always terrible for relationships to go sour.
Congrats on finding your way to a decent comfort zone.