More Canadian women bringing home the back bacon: StatsCan

CBC News

The percentage of women earning more than their husbands nearly tripled over a 26-year period, suggests a Statistics Canada study of double-income couples.

In 2003, 29 per cent of wives earned more than their husbands, compared with 11 per cent in 1967, suggests the study, which was released Wednesday and published in the August edition of Perspectives on Labour and Income.

Researchers attributed the growth in women's earnings to women's increase in education and more job opportunities, flexible work arrangements such as compressed work schedules, parental leave allowances and more child-care options.

"Together these factors have improved women’s access to better paying jobs and their ability to rise in the ranks," authors Deborah Sussman and Stephanie Bonnell wrote in their report.

"While for some couples the rising cost of living may have made two incomes a financial necessity, for others it may be a matter of both spouses pursuing their own interests or aspirations," the authors said.

However, researchers also noticed a disparity in earnings. For example, primary-earner wives in managerial and professional jobs took home an annual salary of $68,000 a year, compared with primary-earner husbands who received $83,000.

But women in these demanding jobs said their personal lives sometimes suffer and find it difficult to maintain a sustainable work-life balance, the report said.

The study, which drew from information in the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics, found primary-earner wives tended to be older and more educated than primary-earner husbands and secondary-earner wives. The majority of the primary-earner wives also had full-time jobs and a good deal of work experience.