A 2010 study by the Pew Research Center showed that in all but three of the 150 biggest cities in this country, young women out earn young men. However, another Pew survey found that 67% of Americans said that in order to be ready for marriage, a man should be able to financially support his family, while only 33% said the same for women. Why the disparity?

I like to think that me and my friends are mature enough and evolved enough to look beyond the “female housewife, male breadwinner” stereotype that was typical for our grandparents generation, and understand that in this day and age, we can be whoever we want to be and work (or not work) wherever we want to work, regardless of our gender. As such, whenever I heard people talk about “a woman’s role” being in the household rather than the workforce, or listened to people argue about how emasculating it can be for some men to be with a woman who earns more than them, I looked at them like they were crazy and sat quietly silently judging them.

But are we really as evolved and forward thinking in regards to the female breadwinner as we thought?

Will’s comment startled me because it made me realize that maybe we’re not as advanced in our thinking as I want to believe. When he said it, most of the reactions from our friends were to rib him about being a “woman” and jokingly ask him for recipes because obviously as the woman, he must cook all the meals. As lighthearted and harmless as the comments were, I couldn’t help but think that maybe, even unconsciously, we do still expect men to earn more than women. After thinking about it, I found that, even in a lighthearted way, my female friends and I joke about marrying a rich guy so we don’t have to worry about job interviews, debt, retirement savings. We make fun of women we think are “gold-diggers” or women (like the cast of “Basketball Wives”) who seem to get ahead in life because of their husbands, yet we probably would be quite satisfied if our husbands or boyfriends were more successful than us (but we would never admit it). And, as displayed by Will, apparently the same sort of thinking still goes for men too. And not just my friends, but the whole society.

Slate tackled the issue of female breadwinners, and they surmised that “such a vast shift in earning power [with females earning more] suggests that the next generation may make different decisions about whose salary counts more and who should be the family’s primary breadwinner.” However, our reactions about, and expectations of, specific gender roles tend to suggest otherwise.

An editorial in Marie Claire suggested that;

“the truth is that, while most men are attracted to women with power (and money is a vehicle for power), we do not want powerful women for partners. The idea of a woman that desires, earns, and achieves more is scary. Most men simply do not want to compete with their partners for power. Our partners can earn, do, and achieve slightly more than us and we’re fine with it. It’s a fun and friendly competition, and it helps keep us honest and focused. If, however, you eclipse us to the point that we can’t out earn or success you, we’ll lose interest faster than you can say “corner office.”

A woman. She is equal in about every way to men. She is just as intelligent and capable as the male. A woman is neither superior nor inferior to men.

Job’s where women are making money!

I’m not some feminist freak. But if you ask a man to describe a woman a common first response may be the description of her physical appearance. Then he will continue into describing her intellect, education, and social skills.

1. We are deeply touched by the sight of babies.

2. When we seek validation we don’t need to look outside, because our strength lies within.

A woman is resourceful and independent. She uses her natural sex appeal and intelligence to get what she wants. Her influence on the opposite sex can conclude to the factor of her rarely having to rely on a man. A woman is selfish at times but only to benefit herself. She has the power and capability to manipulate in a way that no man will ever be able to feel or possess.

3. We are natural multi-taskers. We can run an office or a household, never tired of listening to problems and finding solutions when others have quit trying.

4. Women are good communicators and being able to connect with other people and share freely.

A woman is affectionate and sympathetic. A woman’s genetic make up produces her to express more emotion than the genetic make up of that of a male, but not to the point where women naturally become hysterically and emotional just because of the hormone estrogen. During communication women use something called “rapport talk” to establish intimacy and emotion. Why not? Men use something called “report talk” to convey information and self-importance. This is how men and women balance one another out. In a relationship there needs to be some type of emotion and women naturally bring this? Yes they do! “Rapport talk” is a wonderfully useful tool that all women ought to take into account and utilize and benefit from.

Dressing too sexy this summer?

5. We are equipped with great intuition.

6. Women possess tenderness and grace, being emotionally tuned-in, being resilient and having compassion.

Women are now “bringing home the bacon and frying it up in the pan.” Women have buried the role of Betty the homemaker and dressing the part of the multi tasking businesswoman. Women are looked upon in a different way and gaining respect for both the stay-at-home mom and the full-time working mother. Women are standing stronger than ever. They have spoken and have been heard.

Funny joke: 50 reasons better to be a woman

Ladies could you handle a reversal of traditional gender roles in your home?

BP member karmababy_karma asks, “I mean…Is this a black issue? or A woman issue? or A sex issue? or a Class warfare issue?” in the forum topic he created titled Sista’ voices lost respect after husband laid off–On national T.V. With men making up 80% of the newly unemployed during the economic crisis, this is becoming a hot button problem. Check out the forum and let us know what you think about this issue here.