More U.S. Women Than Ever Are Breadwinners, Pew Study Finds

Mothers are breadwinners for a record share of American families, as more women bring up children on their own and more married mothers outearn their husbands, an analysis of census data shows.
The new reality is a dramatic shift from decades ago, the Pew Research Center found in a study released Wednesday. Two years ago, more than 40 percent of American households with children relied on a mother as their biggest or only source of income — a massive jump from 11 percent of families in 1960.
Two things drove the change: Single mothers now make up a quarter of all U.S. households with children, the Pew analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data found. On top of that, a growing share of married mothers make more money than their husbands, as more women earn degrees and enter the workforce. Wives earn more in nearly 1 out of 4 married couples, Pew found.
Yet even as more American families rely on working mothers, Pew found many people remain uneasy about moms at work. Nearly 3 out of 4 adults surveyed said the growing number of working mothers made it harder for families to raise children. About half said children were better off with their mothers at home, while only 8 percent said the same about fathers.

This article appeared in print on page 9 of the May 30th, 2013 edition of Hamodia.