AEA Papers and Proceedings
ISSN 2574-0768 (Print) | ISSN 2574-0776 (Online)
Recent Trends in Labor Supply Decisions among Married Couples in the United States
AEA Papers and Proceedings
(pp. 599–604)
Abstract
This paper examines changes in joint labor supply among married US households during the period of trend reversal in aggregate labor supply from the late 1990s to the early 2020s. Married women, particularly those with children, exhibit the most significant increases in work hours, while their husbands experience the largest declines. Using a two-earner life-cycle model, we find that the rise in female wages relative to male wages is central to these patterns, in part by inducing fathers to reallocate time toward childcare.Citation
Park, Seonyoung, and Nicole B. Simpson. 2026. "Recent Trends in Labor Supply Decisions among Married Couples in the United States." AEA Papers and Proceedings 116: 599–604. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20261121Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- D15 Intertemporal Household Choice; Life Cycle Models and Saving
- J12 Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure; Domestic Abuse
- J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
- J22 Time Allocation and Labor Supply
- J24 Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
- J31 Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials