The times they are a-changin'.
An new study has told us what we had long suspected and hoped for: for the first time, men are happy for women to be the main breadwinner in a marriage.
New research shows that previously marriages where the man was the main breadwinner were more likely to last, because, if the roles were reversed, men tended to feel threatened by a wife who was better or equally educated.
There has now been a shift and this is the first generation where marriages between a husband and wife of equal education are more likely to last.
Professor of sociology Christine Schwartz, of America’s Wisconsin-Madison university, said that this shows there has been a move away from the traditional 'breadwinner-homemaker' model.
'These trends are consistent with a shift away from a breadwinner-homemaker model of marriage toward a more egalitarian model in which women’s status is less threatening to men’s gender identity.
'The relationship between one’s educational attainment, marriage formation and risk of divorce appears to suggest that couples are adapting to the demographic reality that women have more education than men.'
Prof Schwartz added: 'Young people today strongly believe in egalitarian marriage – even if they don’t always follow it in practice.'
What do you think? Would your partner be happy for you to be the main breadwinner? Are marriages equal now? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.
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