Women are not only usually the primary caregivers in a family, but now they are increasingly the primary breadwinners too. Working Moms are the top breadwinners in more than 40 percent of American households with at least one child under 18. This is the highest rate in history, according to the Pew Research Center.

Women’s roles have changed and marriage rates have declined. Women’s gains on the economic front may be contributing to a decline in marriage. One reason for this decline is that women with greater earning power have greater economic security that allows them to leave a bad marriage or not marry at all.

Most of the mothers who are the chief breadwinners for their families are single parents. Pew also found that  today’s single mothers are much more likely to have never been married than in the past. Americans are also  becoming more acceptable of single mothers.

While women prefer men to be intelligent and ambitious, men have these preferences for women only to the point where women earn more than they do. When a woman earns more than her husband, the risk of divorce rises. Also, it is interesting to note that women who earn more than their husbands do a greater share of household chores.