Listen Live
Listen Live Graphics (Indy)

Women breadwinners are playing an increasingly important role in American society.

Four in 10 households with children under age 18 now include a mother who is either the sole or primary earner for her family, according to a Pew Research Center report released Wednesday. This share, the highest on record, has quadrupled since 1960.

The shift reflects changing family dynamics.

For one, it has become more acceptable and expected for married women to join the work force. At the same time, it is more common for single women to raise children on their own. Most of those mothers who are chief breadwinners for their families — nearly two-thirds — are single parents.

The recession may have also played a role in pushing women into primary earning roles, as men are disproportionately employed in industries like construction and manufacturing that bore the brunt of the layoffs during the downturn. Women have benefited from a smaller share of the job gains during the recovery, though, given the many layoffs in the public sector, which disproportionately employs women.

Women’s attitudes toward working have also changed in the last few years. In 2007, before the recession officially began, 20 percent of mothers told Pew that their ideal situation would be to work full-time rather than part-time or not at all. The share hadrisen to 32 percent by the end of 2012.

Demographically and socioeconomically, single mothers and married mothers are different from each others. The median family income for single mothers — who are disproportionately younger, black or Hispanic, and less educated — is $23,000. The median household income for married women who earn more than their husbands — more often white, slightly older and college-educated — is $80,000. The total family income is generally higher when the wife is the primary breadwinner, rather than the husband.

Such marriages are still relatively rare, though, even if their share is growing. Of all married couples, 24 percent include a wife who earns more, versus 6.2 percent in 1960. (The percentages are similar in regards to only married couples who have children.)

What this means for the stability of a marriage is unclear. In surveys, Americans say that they are accepting of marriages where the wife is the greater earner. Just 28 percent of Americans surveyed by Pew agreed that it is “generally better for a marriage if the husband earns more than his wife.”

The data on actual marriage and divorce rates suggests slightly different attitudes, though.

Source: New York Times

SPEAK ON IT! Do you think a woman earning more than a man can be bad for the relationship? Can a man still be the ‘king of the castle’ when the ‘queen’ is making the lion’s share of the money? Times are changing and we’re sure many of you have a lot to add to this conversation…Follow @1067WTLC on Twitter and SPEAK ON IT!