US Women Now Make as Much or More Than Men in Half of Marriages

In almost half of opposite-sex marriages in the US, women now earn at least as much or more than their husbands.

Nearly one-third of wives earn roughly the same amount as their husbands, while the woman is the primary or sole breadwinner in 16% of marriages, according to a Pew Research Center report released Thursday. Combined, that’s a record high and a threefold surge from 50 years ago, when four in five households relied primarily on the man’s income.

Lauren Schneider became the sole provider for her family when her husband Tom was laid off at the onset of the pandemic. Three years, ...