That canard is as pernicious as the "Islamophobe!" accusation.
Men aren't "afraid" of women who are more successful (financially / career-wise) than they are. Rather, such women reject lower-status males from the get-go (hypergamy)! Men have "gotten wise" to women's rampant hypergamy (which used to be kept in check by society-enforced assortative coupling) and are therefore often avoiding such women from the start.
In 60-70% of all divorces, it's the woman who files for divorce. Give that woman a college degree, and it rises to 70-80%. Give that woman a significantly higher income than her spouse, and it skyrockets to 80-90%!
Regards,
“...such women reject lower-status males...”
Men as a whole are very self conscious today as they are taught to be through expected social norms. Interactions are frequently treated as a test of competence, charm, or social skill, where a negative outcome can feel like a direct reflection of personal worth. Increasing awareness around social boundaries means men are often hyper-concerned about coming across inappropriately or being misunderstood when expressing interest. This often leads to fear of failure in their efforts that stimulate a further fear of rejection in future circumstances. And women are rapidly learning to be more choosy in their endeavors which creates another hurdle for self discovery by placing roadblocks up front. They can afford to now.
Thus:
“women’s rampant hypergamy (which used to be kept in check by society-enforced assortative coupling) and are therefore often avoiding such women from the start.”
Choice or fear of failure? Same thing. You train an animal the same way. If you punish them for a negative behavior enough times, they cease the behavior even if the punishment is nothing more than their rejection which many times is more painful than physical punishment.
wy69