The proportion of women who carry the main financial responsibility for their family has increased by about 50% since 1996, according to the IPPR thinktank. Now, a third of Britain’s working mothers are the main breadwinners in their family, and most of this 2 million-strong group are low earners.
But why are more mothers becoming the main earners today? How do these working women differ from their male equivalents - and how do lower-earning dads feel about their roles in the home? Furthermore, who does the majority of the cleaning and the cooking in such households, and who pays for dinner on a night out?
We interviewed five couples where the mother is the main earner to find out.
‘I feel lucky that I don’t need to worry about money’
Steven Scarbrough, 49, lives in Farnborough with his wife Anastasia Petrova, 38, and 15-year-old step-daughter Apollo. Anastasia earns £90,000 as a telecoms director. Steven earns £22,000 as a sensors assembly specialist.
ªIt took me a long time to meet such a wonderful woman – I wasn’t worried she earned more,” Steven says. “It’s never bothered me. I know I contribute in other ways at home. For example, when we first met five years ago Anastasia did a lot of the cooking and the housework – but she works longer hours than me and commutes for two hours everyday, so she’s tired when she gets home. Now I do all the cooking during the week and we share the housework.
We have separate accounts. I’ll pay for the running of the car, phones and food; Anastasia pays the council tax and our joint mortgage, although I contributed to the original deposit.
If we go out for a takeaway round here I’ll pay, but if we go to London for a posh meal she’ll pay. It certainly doesn’t embarrass me if she pays. I’m very proud of her. I think it’s a win-win situation – I can understand how some men might not like it, but I’m more open-minded. I feel lucky I don’t need to worry about money. It doesn’t really matter to me who pays for what. We’re a family.
One of the main benefits of Anastasia earning more is she can afford to give Apollo a private education. There’s no way I could have afforded that. And the fact Anastasia earns more than me, and always will because I didn’t get much of an education, is spurring Apollo on at school. I see that as a massive positive.º
