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"Trophy Husbands" And "Opt-Out" Moms, Beth A. Burkstrand-Reid

Beth A. Burkstrand-Reid

Women were not the only ones opting out. Nearly one year before The New York Times in its article “The Opt-Out Revolution” showcased highly educated, upwardly mobile women opting out of paid work for the lure of staying at home, Fortune magazine had already reported that some men, which it coined “trophy husbands,” had been doing the same. “Trophy husbands” were presented as leaving paid work by choice, like their later opt-out counterparts. Opt-out moms and trophy husbands—as described in these two germinal stories—have much in common. While, on the surface, the actions of these mothers and fathers may have …