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A tale of two decades: Relative intra-family earning capacity and changes in family welfare over time

Author

Listed:
  • Julie L. Hotchkiss

    (Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and Georgia State University)

  • Robert E. Moore

    (Georgia State University)

  • Fernando Rios-Avila

    (Levy Institute of Bard College)

  • Melissa R. Trussell

    (School of Business and Public Management, College of Coastal Georgia)

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of economic changes in the 1990s and 2000s on the welfare of married households, taking into account the relative earnings structure of husband and wife. Modeling the household members’ joint labor supply, we find that families in which the wife is the higher wage earner experienced as much welfare gain in the 1990s and significantly higher welfare gains in the 2000s as families in which the husband is the higher wage earner.

Suggested Citation

  • Julie L. Hotchkiss & Robert E. Moore & Fernando Rios-Avila & Melissa R. Trussell, 2017. "A tale of two decades: Relative intra-family earning capacity and changes in family welfare over time," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 707-737, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:reveho:v:15:y:2017:i:3:d:10.1007_s11150-016-9354-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s11150-016-9354-9
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    Cited by:

    1. Julie L. Hotchkiss & Robert E. Moore & Fernando Rios-Avila, 2017. "Family Welfare and the Cost of Unemployment," FRB Atlanta Working Paper 2017-7, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Family welfare; Microsimulation; Joint labor supply; Collective family utility;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I30 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • D19 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Other

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