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The Bates family and the Duggar family are close friends. Over the years, they’ve shared their religion and seemingly have been in a friendly competition to have the most kids. Both Kelly jo and Michelle stopped at nineteen children. The families, however, do have one startling difference – what the adult children do for work. While the Duggar boys haven’t strayed far from their parents’ home in Arkansas, the Bates boys are out making their own way. There might be a good reason for that, though.

The Bates family has jobs outside the home

Now that many of the Bates boys are aging into adulthood, they are moving into their chosen career paths. Unlike their reality TV family twins, the Duggars, they are far more open about what they do to make money. Lawson Bates is busy trying to become a musician. He regularly travels to play out.

Zach, the eldest of the Bates boys, is a police officer, and his younger brother, Trace, has followed in his footsteps. Nathan Bates, 25, is trained as an EMR and is working on a commercial pilot’s license. In 2017 he received his private pilot’s license.

The ladies of the Bates family are also gainfully employed. Several of the girls run a clothing boutique, while Michael Bates moved back to Tennessee to pursue a career in nursing. All in all, the majority of the adult Bates children are working and supporting themselves while still appearing on the family’s reality show, Bringing Up Bates.

The Duggar boys only seem to work for their father

While John-David and his bride, Abbie Burnett, have skills that could be easily transferred into real-world applications, the rest of the siblings do not. The majority of the Duggars work directly for Jim Bob. Josh, Josiah, and Joseph all appear to be working at car lots located around Northwest Arkansas. The car lots are all owned by Jim Bob.

Jason Duggar is busy flipping homes, as are several of his brothers. The process, however, is overseen by none other than Jim Bob. Long before the family was famed for their reality TV show, they made their living on real estate. That hasn’t changed, and now several of the Duggar boys and even a son-in-law or two are involved in the business.

It should be noted that while John and Abbie both have marketable skills, that doesn’t mean they are using them for an income. Abbie transferred her nursing credentials to Arkansas but doesn’t appear to be working in a medical facility at this time. The pair just announced they are expecting their first child. John is technically a constable, but the elected position is a volunteer one. John seems to make the bulk of his income by flying the Duggar family all around the country on the family’s fleet of planes. All of the aircrafts, however, are owned by Jim Bob and Michelle.

Why is there such a startling difference between the two reality TV families?

The Duggars and the Bates family subscribe to the same religion. In fact, Gil and Kelly Jo Bates got their start on TV because of their religious connection to the Duggar family. The similarities pretty much stop there, now. While the Duggars have doubled down on the spiritual aspects of their life, the Bates kids seem to be moving in their own directions. Kelly Jo and Gil also don’t appear to be holding their family back, unlike the Duggars. So, why is that exactly?

Reddit fans have theorized that Gil and Kelly Jo Bates simply don’t have enough money to put their kids on the payroll. Because they don’t have the real estate investments, large savings account, or net worth associated with the Duggar family, they have to allow their youngsters to find their own way in the world.

Jim Bob Duggar has a net worth of around $3.5 million. Gil Bates, on the other hand, has an estimated net worth of just $250,000. With 19 kids and lots of grandchildren, Gil can’t afford to keep his family employed. Jim Bob, however, can do just that and by doing so, he gets to maintain control. It’s a win-win situation for Jim Bob.

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