Member-only story
Woman Breadwinners
Sometimes the man needs to take on the supporting role
My brother-in-law works part time while his wife is a highly paid executive. She is the primary breadwinner. Meanwhile, he works as a freelance photographer. He makes a decent salary — he supported himself before they got married. He also does most of the housework.
They are very happy together.
She has always been ambitious.
He, on the other hand, is artistic. But he’s also neat as a pin.
So when she gets home from a business trip, it’s to a clean, orderly, and peaceful home. The only things she does is her own laundry and taking the dog for a walk when she’s home, because she wants to. Occasionally she’ll cook a meal but usually either he cooks or they go out.
I also had a friend, an engineer, who stopped working when his twin boys were around 3 years old.
“She’s lousy with them,” he told me one time, frankly. “She loves them but can’t handle them. I kept coming home to an exhausted wife, a totally chaotic house, and kids that were hopped up on sugar.”
He offered to stay home with the children so she could go to work, since daycare was unacceptable to her.
