Most American Teens Now Think Husband Should Be the Breadwinner At Home
In a major reversal of views, American teenagers now believe that families would be better off if the husband is the breadwinner while his wife takes care of domestic duties.
The finding was announced late last month by the Council on Contemporary Families (CCF) following a survey among high school seniors in the U.S., Live Science reported.
In 1992, 58 percent of American teenagers in schools disagreed that the husband should always be the family breadwinner, the study noted.
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However, by 2014, the number of teens expressing that view went down to 42 percent.
"It's been a steady reversal," said study co-author Joanna Pepin of the University of Maryland.
The study also found out that in 1994, 71 percent of high school seniors disagreed that men should make all the important decisions in the family. However, that figure fell to 63 percent by 2014.
"We were really surprised to see this," Pepin told Live Science, since youngsters are typically more progressive than their elders.
What does the Bible have to say on this subject?
In June 2016, Chuck Bentley, the CEO of Crown, the largest Christian financial ministry in the world, wrote an op-ed piece for The Christian Post to tackle the subject.
Answering a question from a reader on what kind of leadership God requires of husbands and fathers, Bentley said God the Father has provided a "template on what is expected of men ... and what is not."
"In the Bible, God lays out a chain of command, which does not subjugate, but rather organizes how people work together, and at the foundation of the structure is sacrificial love by the leader who is held to the highest standard," Bentley wrote, referring to the husband as the leader.
He quoted 1 Corinthians 11:3, "But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God."
In this outline, Bentley, said God details who is accountable for what in relationship. "The husband is told to lay his life down for his wife and family as well, following God's example. Accountability does not equal tyranny, but rather describes a sacrificial relationship," he said.
While husbands are called to be like Christ, wives are told to love and respect their husbands, Bentley said.
But does the husband's responsibility to his wife and family include the requirement to be the sole breadwinner in the family?
In response, Bentley said "no."
"The Bible does not indicate that a good husband and father brings home all the income or even the most, but he is required to work for it to the best of his abilities," he said.
