July 18, 2012
The NYT devoted a lengthy article to the difference in experiences and opportunities for women and their children when there is a second earner in the household as opposed to a situation where the woman is raising children by herself. While the growth in the number of single parent families has been one of the factors increasing inequality among families with children, most of the impact of this change in family structure had been felt by 1985 according to a study by Bruce Western, which is cited in the article.
As pointed out by my colleague Shawn Fremstad, Western finds that the effect of changing family structure on inequality was negligible in the decade from 1985 to 1995 and actually was a factor reducing inequality in the decade from 1995 to 2005. In other words, this piece on the impact of changing family structure on the growth in inequality between families might have been an appropriate news story for 1985, but at this point it is a quarter century out of date. The vast majority of the rise in inequality in the last quarter century, and indeed in the whole period, is due to within group inequality meaning that it is due to the growth of inequality among families with the same number of wage earners and education levels. (Folks may also want to read Shawn’s follow-up post.)
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