They are outcompeting men in their premarriage years; in the most significant metros, single women's income matches or exceeds single men's. And as of 2016 40% of managers are female.
I agree that women tend to not be going for the riskiest jobs or those that require significant tradeoffs in work-life balance; for those, you need a supportive spouse, and there are both demand- and supply-side issues in pairings where males play the supportive role to a female primary earner.
> I agree that women tend to not be going for the riskiest jobs or those that require significant tradeoffs in work-life balance; for those, you need a supportive spouse, and there are both demand- and supply-side issues in pairings where males play the supportive role to a female primary earner.
Choosing more risky jobs may be male biology and the gender equality paradox.
No increase in supply of supportive husbands would significantly increase the amount of women choosing riskier careers.
> Iceland consistently ranks as the most gender-equal nation. It is also the nation where men and women are most likely to pursue sex-typical jobs.[1]
Also does a person truly need a supportive spouse to undertake a risky career? My assumption is that people decide their career paths well before marriage, and some men choose their career to be a more attractive dating prospect.
That was badly stated on my part, and I mostly agree with you on the risky-career part (though the work-life tradeoff is a separate axis and one where I think my point holds).
Men probably do choose riskier careers early on in significant part because it increases payouts in the relationship market relative to women. Going from well-off to rich doesn't actually improve material well-being much for either men or women, but it does significantly improve relationship prospects for men in a way it doesn't for women. It becomes a matter of economics: the real payout (inclusive of non-monetary elements) for success in a risky bet is higher for men than women, and so men choose to take those risky bets more often.
I agree that women tend to not be going for the riskiest jobs or those that require significant tradeoffs in work-life balance; for those, you need a supportive spouse, and there are both demand- and supply-side issues in pairings where males play the supportive role to a female primary earner.