Education gaps between spouses, racial inequalities affect wives’ income trajectories

The study, published in the high-impact journal Demography, revealed that wives' income trajectories differed significantly by race. (Ron Lach/Pexels) Study shows education gaps between spouses, racial inequalities affect wives' income trajectories Research examines decades of household earnings and married women's labour force participation By Jeff Renaud , February 02, 2023 By Jeff Renaud , February 02, 2023 The education gap between spouses shapes wives' long-term income trajectories, but the impact varies depending on the couple's race, according to a new Western study. For the study, social demographers Kate Choi and Patrick Denice analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (U.S.) to document how much or how little wives contribute to couple's total income during (and up to) the first four decades of marriage. The study, published in the high-impact journal Demography , revealed that wives' income trajectories differed significantly by race. White wives were more likely than Black and Hispanic wives to continuously be secondary earners, meaning their earnings accounted for less than half of their family's household income. They were also more likely to reduce their labour force participation following the birth of a child or when they have young children. By contrast, Black wives were more likely than white and Hispanic wives to continuously be the primary earner or contribute equally to the household economy as their husbands.