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Study: More Women Becoming Family Breadwinners

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — More women are becoming breadwinners for their families, according to a recent study by Pew Research Center.

The survey shows that 40 percent of women provide the main income. Of those, two-thirds are single moms and one-third are married women.

In 1960, only 11 percent of females were breadwinners.

Family financial expert Ellie Kay said the economy has a lot to do with the trend.

"The recession hit male-dominated fields heavily. That includes construction and manufacturing," she said.

The Pew study also found that family incomes are higher when the woman makes more money: Nearly $80,000 a year compared to $78,000 when the husband makes more.

Researchers discovered that's because women are increasingly better educated than their husbands.

A study by the University of Chicago, however, found that in a five-year time period, the divorce rate was 50 percent higher in couples where the woman brought home more bacon.

Kay said she's not surprised.

"Most people would say, 'Oh, no, that's not a problem at all.' But in actuality, when they're surveyed, these marriages indicate less satisfaction," she said.

Kay said communication is the key.

"It's important to make sure you have an equal partnership no matter who makes more," she said.

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