Lily, 39, said that when she and her husband started dating, it was clear she had better earning potential than him. She said she was “raised to be more diligent” and that her parents “spoiled him” because of the health conditions he grew up in. was not a big problem. However, one of their children had a medical condition that required supervision, so Lily worked part-time for several years to look after the children. “One year he made $2,500 more than I did and he never let me forget it. As a result of being laid off in 2018 so she could take care of her children, Lily became more focused on her work. “It opened a lot of doors,” she said. Since then, it has been her sole source of income and now she earns over $300,000 a year. She is also the primary caretaker of household chores. This is not uncommon for female breadwinners.
Studies show that American wives often take on their wives’ jobs if they earn more than their husbands. a bigger share of housework. 1 study Indicated “The more a man is financially dependent on his wife, the less he does housework.” Pues analysis We found that when wives were the main breadwinners, husbands’ leisure time increased significantly compared to those with similar incomes, and they spent about the same amount of time on caregiving and household chores. Joanna Syrda, Professor at the University of Bath said: report Once parents find themselves in this income dynamic, traditional gender norms are so entrenched that they may try to compensate for this “abnormal” situation by leaning towards traditional gender norms at home. (which was less common among childless couples).
Lily still does all the cooking, including one for kids who need to go on the blender diet. She pays the bills, saves and invests for herself and her children, and makes sure she always has enough money in her checking account. “He’s not interested,” she said. Her husband, who is now in his 40s, does his own laundry, but she does not wash her or her children. He does the dishes but no other chores. “They are highly educated men, so they are attractive to me. He can do this,” she said. She feels that male breadwinners generally enjoy more balance at home. I was.
