The Story: According to a new Pew Research Center analysis
of data from the U.S. Census Bureau, a record 40% of all households
with children under the age of 18 include mothers who are either the
sole or primary source of income for the family. The share was just 11%
in 1960.
The Background: These "breadwinner moms" are made up of two widely divergent groups. A little more than a third (37%) are
married mothers who have a higher income than the their husbands.
Approximately 5.1 million American women fall into this category.
However, the vast majority (63%) are single mothers, a group comprised
of 8.6 million women.
As the Pew analysis notes, the median total family income of married
mothers who earn more than their husbands was nearly $80,000 in 2011,
well above the national median of $57,100 for all families with
children, and nearly four times the $23,000 median for families led by a
single mother. Compared with all mothers with children under age 18,
married mothers who out-earn their husbands are slightly older,
disproportionally white, and college educated. Single mothers, by
contrast, are younger, more likely to be black or Hispanic, and less
likely to have a college degree.
The Takeaways: Some of the more interesting findings from the survey include:
• The total family income is about $2,000 higher when the mother, not the father, is the primary breadwinner. Continue at Joe Carter
