By Reporter, Consumer & Social Trends
Couples are far more likely to get divorced if the woman is the breadwinner, according to a new study from Divorce.com.
Regardless of income, couples where the woman was the primary earner were two to three times more likely to get divorced. Two experts told Newsweek why they think that is.
Why It Matters
Roughly 43 percent of marriages end in a divorce, according to Forbes, with second and third marriages having a far higher rate of failure.
The majority, around two-thirds, of these divorces are initiated by women, and finances can play a major factor in whether a couple ends up dissolving their marriage.
What To Know
Women who were the primary earner found themselves two to three times more likely to end up divorced than those with male breadwinners, and this was consistent across all income levels, according to Divorce.com.
While households where the woman significantly outearns her husband account for just 16 percent of couples in America, they comprise a staggering 42 percent of all divorces.
This trend has been noted for over a decade, with Divorce.com reporting that female breadwinner households making up over 41 percent of all divorcing couples since 2012.
Across America, divorce rates were decreasing or stabilizing for most populations, but Latino couples actually saw an uptick of 6 percent. While in 2012, just 14 percent of divorcees were Latino, that number had moved to 20 percent in 2023.
Couples that earned more and had a dual income tended to be less likely to get divorced, the study found.
However, the gap is shrinking, as households earning under $50,000 accounted for 50 percent of divorces in 2012, but only 33 percent in 2023.
For single-income households, divorce rates are twice as high as for dual-income households, with single-income divorces surging 2.6 percent yearly since 2019.
What People Are Saying
Dr. Wendy Walsh, a relationship expert from DatingAdvice, told Newsweek: “On the female side, quite simply, when a woman has economic where-with-all and the ability to support herself, when times get tough in a marriage, she can easily fly the coup. And while we’ve seen an exodus of many women out of the household, we haven’t seen a corresponding influx of men into the household. Many high-earning women are dissatisfied with the amount of domestic labor they are still expected to do.
“On the male side, patriarchy has, sadly, so intertwined men’s earning potential with identity, masculinity, and self-confidence. Other research shows that men who make less than their wives are more likely to have affairs as a way to support their feelings of lost masculinity. Or they may simply behave in a competitive or hostile way toward their wife, who they feel envious of.”
Monica Cwynar, a licensed clinical social worker with Thriveworks, told Newsweek: “Men who are not the primary earners may experience feelings of inadequacy or insecurity, which can affect their self-esteem and behavior in the relationship. This can lead to resentment or emotional distance, further straining the partnership.”
What Happens Next
To lower these rates of divorce amongst breadwinning women, Walsh said men will need to rethink their values and focus on other contributions to the household, like parenting or domestic responsibilities.
“And women need to get patriarchy out of their heads too. A woman’s idea of a power man just might be a guy who can power a stroller,” Walsh said. “I think all genders need to be reminded that in intimate relationships, partners are on the same team. The relationship should be the winner. And all of us need to erase the limiting ideas of masculinity and femininity when it comes to building a life together.”
This article is from Newsweek. You can read the original here.
