Document Information
Wives' Earnings and the Level and Distribution of married Couples' Earnings in Developed Countries
This study examines the contribution of wives' earnings to the distribution of married couples' earnings in 10 developed countries. There is substantial variation among countries in wives' labor force participation, the relative earnings of husbands and wives, the distribution of earnings, and the correlation of spouses' earnings. Even though these countries differ on these dimensions, wives' earnings mitigate inequality in the earnings of married couples. For the countries the authors analyzed over time, the labor force participation of wives married to high-earning husbands increased more than the labor force participation of wives married to middle-earning men. Despite this trend, the mitigating effect of wives' earnings actually increased slightly in all countries examined. Moreover, all other things equal, the correlation of spouses' earnings would have to experience an unprecedented increase in order for wives' earnings to become disequalizing.
Support RAND Research — Buy This Product!
Paperback Cover Price: Free
Pages: 17
Originally published in: Journal of Income Distribution, v. 8, no. 1, 1998, pp. 45-61.
This product is part of the RAND Corporation reprint series. RAND reprints present previously published journal articles, book chapters, and reports with the permission of the publisher. RAND reprints have been formally reviewed in accordance with the publisher's editorial policy, and are compliant with RAND's rigorous quality assurance standards for quality and objectivity.
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.
* RAND research is conducted across divisions, centers, and projects; these organizational components are represented in the "Related RAND Divisions" section above.
Top
RAND® is a registered trademark. Copyright © 1994-2008 RAND Corporation. Last Modified: December 07, 2007 