Census Study Notes Huge Increase : 5 Million Women Earning More Than Husbands Do

Nearly 5 million wives nationwide earn more than their husbands, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday.

Most of these wives work year-round and have no children of minor age, the bureau said in reporting results of a 1983 study that concentrated on married couples in which both spouses work. Many are college graduates and hold professional jobs such as doctor, business executive or public administrator.

About one in five wives among the 26 million working couples make more than their husbands, the study showed.

Undoubtedly, the percentage of wives out-earning their husbands has increased dramatically over the last 10 or 20 years, paralleling the huge influx of women into the labor force. But there are no precise figures because the Census Bureau did not look at the issue that far back.

“Twenty years ago, the proportion (of wives earning more than their husbands) had to be very small,” perhaps only 2% or 3%, Robert Cleveland, a bureau statistician, said in an interview.

Advances for Women

Jill Emery, director of the women’s bureau at the Labor Department, said she was not surprised by the new data. “I think everything is coming together for women,” she said, noting the upsurge in women earning degrees, moving into professions and owning their own businesses.

“Probably, we’re going to see a lot more of this as women become earners at high levels,” said Harriett Harper, the bureau’s chief economic analyst.

The growing phenomenon of wife as leading family breadwinner is much in evidence in the nation’s capital, with its high concentration of professionals in government, journalism, public relations and lobbying.

Sherry Saunders-Rees, who works for a large public-relations firm, banks more income than her husband, Joseph Rees, a consultant. For 18 months, he worked only part time while staying home with their adopted son. Now he is plowing much of his earnings back into a consulting firm he has started.

Status May Change

“It’s never been awkward for us,” Saunders-Rees said, adding with a quip: “It’s only awkward now that you asked about it. . . . I would anticipate that, within the next year or two, our salary status will change.”

Dr. Michael Kerr, a psychiatrist with the Georgetown University family center, said the issue of wife out-earning husband sometimes comes up in marriage counseling. “For some couples, it’s not a big deal. For others, it creates a whole lot of tension,” he said.

Overall, the census study found, husbands still earn considerably more than their wives. All husbands averaged $22,980, contrasted with $10,160 for all wives in 1983. But the wives showed an 18% increase since 1981, in contrast with only a 10% increase for husbands.

However, Rep. Mary Rose Oaker (D-Ohio) cautioned that the new findings should not distract attention from “all those other women who are not doing as well,” in particular the 11 million women who are heads of households.