I concur with the theory of the husband's fear of being "left" When I went to nursing school many years ago the average age of the students was around 33 yo. I am not sure of a percentage, but a heck of a lot of the female students left their husbands after becoming an RNs. When wives do life event changes such as going back to school, getting lap band surgery, etc, many middle aged males fear abandonment due to esteem and inadequacy issues. Constant communication is necessary to identify what the fear is, if it is fear at all. Good luck by the way!