Trajectories of Mothers’ Breadwinning Responsibilities Over the Life Course

What does it mean for more and more mothers in the U.S. becoming the primary source of income in their households?

Mothers provide the bulk of daily care for minor children; they also frequently work for pay and increasingly provide the majority of the earnings needed to support their households. This project investigates when and why U.S. mothers become primary household earners, how long mothers in different demographic groups spend in that status throughout life, and the consequences of being the primary source of household earnings.

This research is in partnership with the Population Research Center, University of Texas, Austin.