Are Moms Now The Primary Breadwinners?

Even though the traditional idea of an American family comes with the notion that a man brings home the money and is the primary breadwinner, a new study by the Pew Research Center reveals that almost a quarter of married women with children women take home a bigger paycheck than their husbands compared to 3.8 percent in 1960, Newsday reports.

Pew surveyed 1,003 people, and found that 74 percent of those polled feel a women's increased presence in the workplace has made it more difficult for parents to raise children, while half polled said it makes for a more difficult marriage, according to The Huffington Post.

Researchers found that in 40.4 percent of households with children, a record high rate, the mother is the sole or primary breadwinner, compared to 10.8 percent in 1960, according to their analysis of census data through 2011. The recent trends reflect cracks in the glass ceiling, as women are gaining more opportunities in the workplace in addition to advanced educations.

"I think men are more accepting of the fact that their wives might make more," Allan Mohl, a family therapist with an office in Dobbs Ferry, said to Newsday. He explained that the men he sees in his practice have made a "seamless" transition into this new idea of family. 

"There are actually some guys who enjoy staying at home and taking care of the kids," he said. "There's been a big shift here."

About 16 percent of married couples had a husband who was better educated than his wife in 1960, versus 7 percent who had a wife with an advanced education. The study said that in 2011 the "pattern has flipped," showing 23 percent of women with better educations than their husbands, compared to 17 percent of husbands better educated than their wives.

The study also found that the educational gap has helped to narrow the gap in wages, with 38 percent of better-educated women out-earning their husbands. In comparison, 23 percent of better-educated wives make less than their husbands.

"The idea of having a woman president is no big deal anymore," said Mohl, who believes these changes may apply to the Oval Office.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the median family income of women who earn more than their husbands was nearly $80,000 in 2011, compared to the national median average for all families with children of $57,100.

The study found that married women who out-earn their husbands tend to be older, white and college-educated, while single mothers are more likely to be young, black or Hispanic and without a college degree.