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March 1998, Vol. 121, No. 3
The effect of working wives on the incidence of poverty
Peter Cattan
Associate Faculty Member, Center for Labor
Research and Studies, Florida International University, Miami,
Florida
Earnings of working wives markedly lowered the incidence of
poverty for all ethnic and race groups. Poverty rates for Mexican
immigrant and Cuban families dropped by hefty 25- and
20-percentage points, respectively, as a result of wives'
earnings. Using data from the BLS Current Population Survey, this
article also concludes that the relative declines, which adjust
for starting points, in poverty rates tended to fall at a faster
pace for white families than for minorities.
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