Stay-at-Home Husband?

There’s been a buzz about shifting gender roles lately: from controversial e-books and magazine covers.

More women are bringing home the paycheck while husbands maintain the home.

Women are already breadwinners or co-breadwinners in a third of American families, according to The Center For American Progress.

So, where’s this phenomenon headed?

This breadwinner shift is making it more socially acceptable for men to maintain the home, says Lisa Sawicki, a partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ assurance practice. And she knows from experience – she works while her husband stays home.

“This wasn’t the plan when we first got married. But as opportunities became available we decided it was beneficial for him to stay home.”

The good news: Pew Research Center data shows nearly 75 percent of adults say more working women is a change for the better.

But it’s not easy. Sawicki says she’s seen women change out of work clothes before attending a school event to blend in better with stay-at-home moms.

When it comes to navigating this new territory, she says challenges arise when women feel guilty about being away from home, and men feel inadequate for not being providers.

Sawicki suggests calling out any tension that arises so it doesn’t become resentment, and continuing to see the family as a team.

“When opportunities shrink in an economic downturn,” she adds, “men and women start recognizing they function best as a team and focus on what’s best for the family as a unit.”

Bonus PINK Link: Are women truly the richer sex? Find out here.

Are you the breadwinner in your family? and tell us your story.

By Caroline Cox

“Families are like fudge – mostly sweet with a few nuts.”
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