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State-level Gender Inequality and Couples' Relative Earnings Following Parenthood over Four Decades
Kelly Musick1, Wonjeong Jeong2
1Cornell University.
Social Science Research
|February 2, 2026
Summary
Structural sexism significantly increases within-couple earnings inequality when couples become parents. This effect, particularly impacting wives' earnings, persists for years and is evident across diverse socioeconomic groups.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Economics
- Gender Studies
Background:
- Gender inequality and structural sexism are key factors influencing labor market outcomes.
- Parenthood is a critical juncture where within-couple economic disparities may emerge or widen.
- Existing research often overlooks the role of systemic gender bias in shaping parental earnings dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To empirically assess how structural gender inequality affects within-couple earnings inequality after childbirth.
- To investigate the influence of state-level gender devaluation of women's work on parental earnings.
Main Methods:
- Utilized longitudinal data from the Current Population Survey (1982-2020) covering 87,694 couples.
- Employed fixed-effect models analyzing pre- and post-birth earnings.
- Merged couple-level earnings data with state-level indicators of gender inequality.
Main Results:
- State-level gender inequality significantly shapes couples' earnings adjustments to parenthood.
- New mothers in states with greater devaluation of women's work experienced steeper relative earnings declines.
- This effect was concentrated in wives' earnings, persisted over time, and was independent of couples' social advantage.
Conclusions:
- Structural sexism exacerbates earnings inequality among parents, particularly affecting mothers.
- Findings highlight the economic vulnerability of mothers due to ingrained societal gender biases.
- Policy interventions addressing structural sexism are crucial for promoting maternal economic well-being.
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