Women and their Families Count on Women’s Earnings

Women and their Families Count on Women’s Earnings            

In 2013, women working full time, year round typically had lower earnings than men ($39,157 compared to $50,033).[15] Women’s lower wages hurt women and families who rely on women’s earnings for all or part of their income. 

Lower earnings have a serious impact on the economic security of the more than 7.3 million families headed by working single mothers.[16]

§  Working single mothers with children struggled to make ends meet in 2013. Over a quarter, or more than 2.0 million, of all such families were poor. Almost an additional 2.5 million working single mother families were struggling to make ends meet, falling between 100 and 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), meaning that more than six in ten (61.9 percent) of working single mother families lived below 200 percent of the FPL.[17] In 2013, the FPL for a single mother with two children was just under $18,800.[18]

Most two-parent families depend on women’s wages, and so also suffer when women receive unfair pay.

§  Nearly 1.4 million married couples with children relied exclusively on women’s earnings at some point in 2013, representing 5.6 percent of all married couples with children.[19]

§  In 2013, more than 14.8 million married couples with children relied on both parents’ earnings, representing 59.7 percent of all married couples with children.[20]

The wage gap impacts single women with no children as well, who are also working to support themselves.

§  In 2013, the typical never-married woman with no children working full time, year round was paid 70.0 percent of what a man working full time, year round was paid.[21]

Fair pay impacts married women with no children who are more likely to be solely supporting their family than married women with children.

§  Nearly 4.2 million married couples with no children relied exclusively on women’s earnings at some point in 2013, representing 11.3 percent of all married couples with no children.[22]

§  In 2013, almost 14.6 million married couples with no children relied on both partners’ earnings, representing 39.2 percent of all married couples with no children.[23]

[16] NWLC calculations from CPS, 2014 ASEC, Table POV-15: Families with related children under 18 by householder’s work experience and family structure, available at http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/cpstables/032014/pov/pov15_100.htm (last visited Sept. 29, 2014). The term “single mothers” refers to female-headed families with children. Figure includes all individuals with work experience during the year, not just full-time, year-round workers.

[17] Id. Federal poverty line used in these calculations refers to the Census Bureau’s federal poverty thresholds used to calculate poverty levels.

[18] U.S. Census Bureau, CPS, 2014 ASEC, Table POV35: Poverty Thresholds by Size of Family and Number of Related Children, available at http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/cpstables/032014/pov/toc.htm (last visited Oct. 8, 2014).  Exact figure is $18,769.

[19] NWLC calculations from U.S. Census Bureau, America’s Families and Living Arrangements Survey: 2014, Table FG1: Married Couple Family Groups, by Family Income, and Labor Force Status of Both Spouses: 2014,available at http://www.census.gov/hhes/families/data/cps2014FG.html  (last visited April 8, 2015).  Family households are used in this figure to be consistent with the statistics on single mothers. Data are from the CPS, 2014 ASEC but are for the year 2013. No children means no own children under 18 present in the household.  There may be older children who could possibly live with these couples.

[20] Id.

[21] NWLC calculations from CPS, 2014 ASEC using CPS Table Creator, available athttp://www.census.gov/cps/data/cpstablecreator.html (last visited Oct. 8, 2014).   Figure is the ratio of median annual person earnings, compared to men regardless of marital status and number of related children under 18 living in the household. No children means no own children under 18 present in the household.  There may be older children who could possibly live with these women.  

[22] Supra note 19. Family groups are used in this figure so these data are not directly comparable to the earlier statistics on single mothers. Data are from the CPS, 2014 ASEC but are for the year 2013. No children means no own children under 18 present in the household.  There may be older children who could possibly live with these couples.  

[23] Id.

http://www.wunrn.com

http://www.nwlc.org/resource/how-wage-gap-hurts-women-and-families