Before showing students this graph, you might ask them to guess what percentage of American households do:

• Both parents work?
• Only husband?
• Only wife?

From NPR.org (click on graph for better resolution):

Here are some great follow-up questions to ask your students about this resource:

1. What percentage of American households had both husband and wife working in 1968? 2013?
2. What trends do you see occurring between 1980-2000?
3. Why do you think the percentage of “Only Wife Works” has consistently remained low compared to the the percentage of “Only Husband Works”?
4. In 1968, 2% of American households were led solely on wives’ incomes. Does this mean that only 2% of women in the United States worked at that time?

Want this resource and questions in slide format to use in class? Click here!

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

More posts by Tim