SHAH ALAM - Husbands with breadwinning wives should not feel pressured by the expectations set by the society. Filmmaker Izzy Chan who directed award-winning documentary "The Big Flip: Stories from the Modern Home Front" said this was because there was a shift in gender norms for the breadwinning role and it was nothing to be ashamed of. She said women would also not want their husbands to be pressured by the society that has a mindset that men should be the ones earning money instead of women.
Nowadays, she said women are also encouraging their husbands to not feel embarrassed being the caretakers of the house and children.
"In a social setting, breadwinner wives do not want their husbands to feel embarrassed because society still expects them to be the one earning money.
"Being laid off can be tough for some people so it can be embarrassing for them, but we are still learning to say don’t get embarrassed.
"With the social expectations, breadwinner wives become mindful of what the husband thinks but I think this is changing because people are starting to own it and not being embarrassed about it,” she said.
Being a breadwinner of the family, Chan also shared how she had to travel a lot for work and at the same time faced societal expectation that the mother should be looking after the children and not losing the opportunity to be there physically with them.
She said this during Sinar Daily’s talk show, Relatable entitled "When The Role Flips" which was broadcasted at 11am on Tuesday on all Sinar Daily digital platforms. The show moderated by Tasnim Lokam and Syahirah Mokhtazar discussed on the shift in norms at home and workplace following more women now becoming primary breadwinners for their families as well as the need for couples to navigate the new power dynamics.
Chan's documentary follows the stories of four American families where they share the trials and triumphs of breadwinner moms and stay-at-home dads.