The Pew Research Center recently reported that in one third of marriages the wife now has more education than does the husband. And wives are now the primary breadwinners in 22% of marriages, up from 7% in 1970.

For some, these changes can take some getting used to. But they have had a surprising effect — increased marital stability — if accompanied by changes in traditional gender roles.

It seems that in marriages where men take on more responsibilities at home and women earn more outside the home, divorce rates drop and marital satisfaction increases.

It’s thought that the increased earnings power women receive from working outside the home creates a marriage which is more balanced — fairer to wives — and, some would say paradoxically, fairer to husbands as well.