Accidental Breadwinners

The prevalence of female breadwinners is on the rise. In 1967, only 16 percent of U.S. women were either single working moms or married mothers who earned more than their partners; by 2017, that number ballooned to 41 percent, according to the Center for American Progress.

But achieving that primary-earning status isn’t always intentional. Maybe a spouse becomes unable to work due to illness or injury—or gets let go. In times of economic downturn, for example, more men might lose their jobs because they’re concentrated in industries such as manufacturing and construction. Women, however, are clustered in fields less susceptible to economic swing, such as education and healthcare. And look at stay-at-home-dad statistics: In 2016, dads made up 17 percent of all stay-at-home parents, up from 10 percent in 1989, according to the Pew Research Center. Here, three moms detail how they unexpectedly wound up as breadwinners—and reveal their candid feelings about it.

Ellen

Civil Litigation Attorney Newton, MA

Ellen didn’t intend to be the primary breadwinner when she married a marketing and public-relations professional in 1994.