In 1987, 18 percent of working wives whose husbands also worked earned more than their spouses; in 2006, the proportion was 26 percent. This is according to new data supplied by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Among all married-couple families in which the wife (but not necessarily the husband) had earnings from work in 2006, 33 percent of the wives earned more than their husbands. This is about a third higher than the 1987 figure of 24 percent.
This data on earnings is from the Current Population Survey. For more information see "Women in the Labor Force: A Databook (2008 Edition)," BLS Report 1011.
