Wives Who Make More Than Their Husbands Should Take Note
By: Stacy Francis
Feb. 9, 2023
When wives make more than their husbands, the husbands are more likely to cheat, and the couples are more likely to face divorce. Two divorce experts weigh in on why.
When a wife makes more than her husband, marriages struggle. Many relationships that do not conform to the traditional norm of the man playing the role of provider do not fare well, with those marriages being 50% more likely to end in divorce, according to a University of Chicago study.
The study points to several reasons, including tension between the partners due to a combination of societal expectations of men and deep-seated ideas about gender roles, leading to arguments.
However, the number of women out-earning their partners is increasing, according to the Pew Research Center. Only 3.8% of wives earned more than their husbands back in 1960, but a 2020 TD Ameritrade survey found the number of female breadwinners has jumped to 21%. More than a quarter of wives report that they make as much as their husbands.