Recent Trends in Labor Supply Decisions among Married Couples in the United States

Seonyoung Park and Nicole B. Simpson

AEA Papers and Proceedings, 2026, vol. 116, 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.

JEL-codes: D15 J12 J16 J22 J24 J31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20261121

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