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EPISODE · Nov 3, 2025 · 26 MIN

Female breadwinners

from The Conversation · host BBC World Service

Can women earn more than their partners and still be happy at home? How does a higher income affect family dynamics and the division of household chores? Datshiane Navanayagam talks to an author in the UK and a South African academic who've researched the issues. Dr Bianca Parry is a social psychology lecturer at University College London. While working at the Centre for Mediation in Africa (CMA) at the University of Pretoria, she carried out several research projects on female breadwinners, focusing on the experiences of marginalised and vulnerable communities. Melissa Hogenboom is an award-winning science writer and author (she also works for BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC). Her latest book is called Breadwinners: and other power dynamics that influence your life. She draws on socio-economic research and dozens of candid interviews with female breadwinners, stay-at-home dads and same-sex couples about how unequal earnings affect relationships. Produced by Jane Thurlow (Image: (L) Dr Bianca Parry credit Mariki Uitenweerde. (R), Melissa Hogenboom credit Fran Gomez de Villaboa.)

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Nov 3, 2025

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Female breadwinners

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