Most divorces stem from issues created by unemployed husbands, not full-time working wives, a new study has found.
Over 6,300 couples were surveyed in the U.S. based study, which saw that it was the husband's employment that made a significant impact in marriages.
Alexandra Killewald, a professor of sociology at Harvard University and author of the study noted that prior work has suggested it was women's economic independence which made it easier for them to leave a marriage, thus increasing the odds of divorce.
"I found no evidence of that," she stated.
The findings were published in the August issue of American Sociological Review.
The study also found that individual income of the couple is not a major factor leading to divorce, but the gender roles and expectations are still prevalent among men.
"In more recent years, wives' willingness to do the lion's share of housework has become less important in marriage stability. But men's work outside the home still matters," she pointed out.
The study revealed that couples married before 1975 are less likely to divorce and in this case, the wife has a prominent role in house chores. But this pattern changes for couples married between 1975 and 2011.
Commenting on the study, Pamela Smock, a sociologist not linked to the study, echoed Killewald: "While women's roles have changed markedly over the past several decades, men's have not kept pace," said the University of Michigan sociology professor.
"In our culture, to be a 'husband' still means being the breadwinner."