{"id":1174,"date":"2017-01-30T08:00:26","date_gmt":"2017-01-30T12:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/annelitwin.com\/?p=1174"},"modified":"2017-01-30T08:00:26","modified_gmt":"2017-01-30T12:00:26","slug":"the-cost-of-being-a-successful-woman-new-research-from-sweden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.annelitwin.com\/blog\/blog-posts\/the-cost-of-being-a-successful-woman-new-research-from-sweden\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cost of Being a Successful Woman: New Research from Sweden"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\tJoan C. Williams<\/a>, writing for the Harvard Business Review\u00a0<\/em>about why white working-class men and women voted for Donald J. Trump in the 2016 presidential election, describes the strong feelings about traditional gender roles that still exist in segments of our society. She explains, \u201cTrump promises a world free of political correctness and a return to an earlier era, when men were men and women knew their place.\u201d She goes on to explain that manly dignity is a big deal for most working-class men. So is breadwinner status: Many still measure masculinity by the size of a paycheck,\u201d and the paychecks of working-class men have been decreasing since the 1970s. During this same time period in the United States, women, especially educated women, have gained greater access to opportunities, increasing the resentment of working-class men and women.\nWhile the 2016 election of Donald J. Trump reflects, at least in part, that traditional attitudes about gender roles are still deeply embedded in large segments of society in the United States, a recent study finds that, surprisingly, these attitudes also still exist in Sweden.\nWhy is this a surprise? Ray Fisman<\/a>, writing for Slate.com, explains that while Sweden is known to be a progressive country with legal protections for women, generous family leave, and free day care for all, societal gender norms still play a big role.\nFisman cites research by Olle Folke and Johanna Rickne showing that female career success is harmful to marriages in Sweden. They followed the marriages of aspiring female politicians and found that while winners\u2019 and losers\u2019 divorce rates are identical before an election, the divorce rate for winners doubles relative to that of losers right after an election. They find a similar impact from becoming a female CEO in Sweden. Fisman notes, \u201cThe authors argue that the women\u2019s sudden success puts extra strain on marriages in which men are accustomed to playing a more dominant role in the workforce.\u201d According to the researchers, the effect is larger when \u201cthe promotion results in the woman becoming the household\u2019s dominant earner.\u201d\nThe costs of these attitudes about successful women are high. Neither the United States nor Sweden has ever had a female head of state\u2014at least in part a reflection of discomfort with ambitious women. Other costs include\n\n\n