Currently or formerly married women with higher educational attainment are more likely than their lesser-educated counterparts to believe that they would be able to support themselves and their family independently of their husband’s income.

More than twice as many married women with university degrees or more (65%) as married women with less than a primary education (31%) would be able to support themselves independently of their husband’s income (Figure 12).  

The majority of married women with less than a primary education said that they could not support themselves independently of their husbands (60%), four times the rate for women with a college degree or higher (19%).

A small percentage of married women were uncertain whether or not they could support themselves independently of their husbands.  Women with less than a primary education expressed the least uncertainty (4%), compared with 13% of married women with an intermediate education, who expressed the greatest uncertainty.  Twelve percent of married women with a secondary degree and 11% of married women with a university degree or more were also uncertain about whether they could support themselves.

Regardless of educational attainment, few married women currently support themselves or their families on their own.  Five percent of married women with a university degree or more and 4% of married women with less than a primary education currently support themselves.