In 2009, as sociology professor at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Doucet undertook a study entitled "Bread and Roses Project" in which she tracked couples in which women were the primary earners using data from both Canada and the United States. In a 2010 interview with The New York Times, Doucet observed that, "With women taking on more earning and men taking on more caring, there's a lot of shifting and juggling. You can't just reverse the genders." In an interview with the New York Post Doucet explained that "The ambiguity over who does what, and its accompanying stress, is to be expected as gender roles change."The 'mancession' has been difficult on couples. Many have told me that they did not expect to be in this situation. To suddenly have it sprung upon you because of job loss can lead to a rapid and stress-filled learning curve for both men and women." In her project Bread and Roses — And the Kitchen Sink, Doucet said, "It's been just a steady progression of women's education going up and employment going up, but then quite a remarkable leap in women being primary breadwinners or shared primary breadwinners relates to the changes in the economy."
