Whether consciously or unconsciously, many women in heterosexual relationships put their careers on the back burner to enable their partners to advance.
I still get comments of surprise when I explain why we moved to our current location: it was for my job, and my husband was the trailing spouse. For us, it was a fresh start, because he really disliked his job at the time and it was a chance for him to find something new. My job also allows him to work part time and to focus on another aspect of career that isn’t a job (and doesn’t currently bring in money) but is very important to him.
I would love to see this become more of a norm (is 50/50 too much to ask?), because there are so many pink-collar careers that require movement to get into or move up these days.
Because we raise boys to believe that they’re the main character and girls to see themselves as the sidekick.
Nah. Speaking as a guy, guys are often raised to think that their very existence is a burden, and that their highest possible calling is providing for a woman so she can live an emotionally full life.