few decades ago, the common pattern featured a man with relatively high earnings, such as an executive or a

doctor, marrying a woman who did not earn as much, like a secretary or a nurse. Often, the woman would leave

paid employment, at least for a few years, to raise a family. However, now doctors are marrying doctors and

executives are marrying executives, and mothers with high-powered careers are often returning to work while

their children are quite young. This pattern of households with two high earners tends to increase the

proportion of high-earning households.

According to data in the National Journal, even as two-earner couples have increased, so have single-parent

households. Of all U.S. families, in 2021, about 23% were headed by single mothers. The poverty rate among

single-parent households tends to be relatively high.

These changes in family structure, including the growth of single-parent families who tend to be at the lower
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