Breadwinner Role

Abstract

The concept of the “breadwinner role” became prominent between 1790 and 1865 in the west under industrialization. Until this period, both men's and women's participation in production were considered essential to family survival. In agrarian societies, the lines separating the gender division of labor were often blurred. With the onset of industrialization, the gender division of labor became rigid, and men and women became associated with separate and different spheres of work. Women became associated with the domestic sphere, which included all household work and caregiving, while men became entirely responsible for the financial support of the family as the “breadwinner.”