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Among married-couple families, 53 percent had earnings from both the wife and the husband in 2011, compared with 44 percent in 1967. Couples in which only the husband worked represented 19 percent of married-couple families in 2011, versus 36 percent in 1967.
Year | Husband and wife | Husband only | No earners | Wife only | Husband and other family member |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1967 | 43.6 | 35.6 | 6.8 | 1.7 | 10.7 |
1968 | 45.0 | 34.9 | 6.6 | 1.7 | 10.3 |
1969 | 45.7 | 34.1 | 6.8 | 1.8 | 10.2 |
1970 | 45.7 | 33.3 | 7.3 | 1.9 | 10.3 |
1971 | 44.9 | 33.7 | 7.6 | 2.2 | 10.1 |
1972 | 45.7 | 33.0 | 7.8 | 2.2 | 9.8 |
1973 | 46.9 | 30.8 | 8.5 | 2.4 | 9.6 |
1974 | 47.3 | 29.8 | 9.1 | 2.6 | 9.4 |
1975 | 46.7 | 30.0 | 10.3 | 2.9 | 8.1 |
1976 | 48.0 | 28.4 | 10.3 | 3.0 | 8.0 |
1977 | 48.8 | 27.3 | 10.8 | 3.0 | 7.9 |
1978 | 50.8 | 25.6 | 10.8 | 3.1 | 7.4 |
1979 | 52.1 | 24.3 | 11.3 | 3.1 | 7.1 |
1980 | 51.8 | 23.6 | 12.0 | 3.5 | 6.9 |
1981 | 51.8 | 23.2 | 12.5 | 3.4 | 6.5 |
1982 | 50.8 | 23.2 | 12.9 | 4.1 | 6.3 |
1983 | 52.1 | 22.1 | 13.1 | 3.9 | 6.0 |
1984 | 53.6 | 20.8 | 13.2 | 3.7 | 5.7 |
1985 | 54.5 | 20.4 | 13.1 | 3.7 | 5.4 |
1986 | 55.9 | 19.4 | 13.1 | 3.7 | 5.3 |
1987 | 56.6 | 18.9 | 13.0 | 3.8 | 5.0 |
1988 | 58.6 | 18.1 | 13.0 | 3.4 | 4.4 |
1989 | 58.9 | 17.6 | 13.0 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
1990 | 59.0 | 17.4 | 13.0 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
1991 | 59.1 | 16.9 | 13.5 | 3.8 | 4.1 |
1992 | 58.7 | 17.1 | 13.6 | 4.0 | 3.6 |
1993 | 58.8 | 16.4 | 13.7 | 4.5 | 3.9 |
1994 | 59.6 | 16.2 | 13.4 | 4.4 | 3.8 |
1995 | 59.8 | 16.5 | 13.6 | 4.2 | 3.5 |
1996 | 60.4 | 16.2 | 13.3 | 4.1 | 3.5 |
1997 | 60.3 | 16.2 | 13.4 | 4.2 | 3.4 |
1998 | 59.8 | 16.8 | 13.2 | 4.4 | 3.1 |
1999 | 60.3 | 16.4 | 12.9 | 4.7 | 3.3 |
2000 | 59.8 | 16.8 | 13.2 | 4.6 | 3.3 |
2001 | 59.3 | 16.9 | 13.5 | 4.8 | 3.3 |
2002 | 58.5 | 17.6 | 13.6 | 4.9 | 3.2 |
2003 | 57.5 | 18.1 | 13.9 | 5.2 | 3.1 |
2004 | 57.1 | 18.6 | 13.8 | 5.2 | 3.2 |
2005 | 57.3 | 18.2 | 13.8 | 5.3 | 3.1 |
2006 | 57.4 | 18.1 | 13.7 | 5.5 | 3.0 |
2007 | 57.6 | 17.8 | 13.5 | 5.6 | 3.2 |
2008 | 57.3 | 17.9 | 13.7 | 5.8 | 2.9 |
2009 | 55.2 | 18.1 | 14.5 | 6.6 | 3.1 |
2010 | 54.1 | 18.7 | 14.8 | 6.8 | 3.1 |
2011 | 52.8 | 19.1 | 15.5 | 6.8 | 3.1 |
Note: Estimates do not sum to 100 percent because not all groups are shown. Estimates are not shown for families in which the wife and another family member were earners or families where neither the husband nor wife were earners but some other family member had earnings. |
In 2011, working wives contributed 37 percent of their families’ incomes, up by 10 percentage points from 1970, when wives’ earnings accounted for 27 percent of their families’ total income.
Year | Percent |
---|---|
1970 | 26.6 |
1971 | 27.5 |
1972 | 26.7 |
1973 | 26.0 |
1974 | 25.4 |
1975 | 26.3 |
1976 | 26.4 |
1977 | 26.1 |
1978 | 26.1 |
1979 | 26.0 |
1980 | 26.7 |
1981 | 27.3 |
1982 | 28.4 |
1983 | 28.8 |
1984 | 28.4 |
1985 | 28.3 |
1986 | 29.0 |
1987 | 29.5 |
1988 | 29.6 |
1989 | 29.9 |
1990 | 30.7 |
1991 | 31.3 |
1992 | 32.4 |
1993 | 32.2 |
1994 | 31.9 |
1995 | 31.9 |
1996 | 32.6 |
1997 | 32.7 |
1998 | 32.8 |
1999 | 32.8 |
2000 | 33.5 |
2001 | 34.4 |
2002 | 34.8 |
2003 | 35.2 |
2004 | 34.9 |
2005 | 35.1 |
2006 | 35.6 |
2007 | 36.0 |
2008 | 36.0 |
2009 | 37.1 |
2010 | 37.6 |
2011 | 37.0 |
These data are from the Current Population Survey. For more information, see Women in the Labor Force: A Databook (PDF), Report 1049, May 2014.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Working wives in married-couple families, 1967–2011 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2014/ted_20140602.htm (visited October 31, 2024).