In almost half of opposite-sex marriages in the U.S., women are now earning the same as their husbands — or out-earning them, by an average of $53,000. Spouses are earning the same income in nearly one-third, or 29%, of opposite-sex marriages, a significant jump from just 11% in 1972. In egalitarian marriages, men and women's earnings are almost identical: In 2022, the median earnings for wives in such marriages was $60,000, while husbands earned $62,000. About 16% of opposite-sex marriages in the U.S. have a breadwinner wife, up from 5% five decades earlier, Pew reports. Women continue to bear the brunt of household responsibilities, even as financial contributions have become more equal in opposite-sex marriages.

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