title: Family structure and income inequality in families with children, 1976 to 2000.
abstract: Using 24 years of data from the March supplements to the Current Population Survey and detailed categories of family structure, including cohabiting unions, I assess the contribution of changes in family structure to the dramatic rise in family income inequality. Between 1976 and 2000, family structure shifts explain 41% of the increase in inequality, but the influence of family structure change is not uniform within this period or across racial-ethnic groups. In general, the estimated role of family structure change is inversely related to the magnitude of the changes in inequality. Furthermore, by including cohabitation, I find lower levels of total inequality and a weaker role for demographic shifts in family structure for trends in income inequality.
authors.affiliation: The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Sociology, 414 Oswald Tower, University Park, PA 16802, USA. mmartin@pop.psu.edu
authors.forename: Molly A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Martin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D002648:Child; D003625:Data Collection; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D011203:Poverty / Q000639:trends; D012923:Social Class; D014481:United States; D044465:White People