The effect of women's labor force participation on the distribution of income in the United States.

The effect of women's labor force participation on income distribution in the United States is reviewed. "Because the wives of highly paid men participate less in the labor force, the earnings of working wives make the distribution of pretax, money income more equal for families than it might otherwise be. Although there is considerable speculation that future developments in women's labor force participation may foster greater inequality, the empirical results are mixed." The factors that need to be considered in future research are outlined. excerpt