More Women Primary Breadwinners, New Survey Says

Ed Lynch Tuesday, May 28, 2013

In a record 40 percent of households with children, working mothers are the primary breadwinners. This is a big change over the 11 percent that it was at in 1960. These findings were released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center.

Even though single mothers head most of these households, many are married mothers who make more than their husbands. This change seems to be irreversible and is most likely going to bring added pressure to make changes to child-care policies and add government safety nets for vulnerable families.

There are many in the general public who are still not sure that more working mothers is a good thing. Although approximately 79 percent of Americans reject the idea that women should go back to their traditional roles, only 21 percent think that women working outside the home is a good thing for society. 3 in 4 adults think it has made it harder for parents to raise children.

Kim Parker, associate director with the Pew Social & Demographic Trends Project, says, “Women’s roles have changed, marriage rates have declined — the family looks a lot different than it used to. The rise of breadwinner moms highlights the fact that, not only are more mothers balancing work and family these days, but the economic contributions mothers are making to their households have grown immensely.”

Unfortunately, even with the increase in working mothers, the public attitudes have changed very little over the years. Hopefully, this will lead to more family-friendly work policies and support for single mothers.

 

 

Edwardl@longislandyellowpages.com

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