Although gender equal marriages are becoming increasingly more popular as women enter positions and professions that were previously occupied by only men, there are still plenty of marriages where wives and husbands assume traditional gender roles and dangers can come when those roles begin to shift. Women who start their marriage earning less than their husbands or not working entirely are much more likely to get divorced if their career suddenly grows quickly, according to research completed by Swedish researchers. Traditional gender roles can be especially hard to break out of, particularly if the relationship was built on previous gender roles.
In this study, the wives earned less than their husbands at the beginning of the relationship, often due to having to relocate to support their husbands or having pressure placed on their careers such as the addition of young children. However, household dynamics can shift when wives did not have as much time to devote to the care of children or family members or to household tasks. The shift in dynamic can be jarring for all family members as women feel like the primary breadwinner and as they view their career as more important, men may become threatened by a new spouse’s success.
When you talk to a lawyer, you’ll have a better understanding of what is involved in filing a claim and have clear action steps to take next. You’ll feel much more confident and clear about what’s involved so that you can make a good decision about whether or not now is the time to file.
Scheduling a consultation with an experienced divorce attorney may be the next step for a woman who is figuring out how to adjust to this new role and is feeling as though it is impossible for her and her husband to get along anymore. The shift in these gender dynamics can be devastating for someone who is contemplating getting a divorce. You may choose to separate first in order to figure out whether or not you and your spouse will be able to work things out but in all of these cases, a consultation with a divorce lawyer can be valuable.