Dual and zero earner couples in Britain: longitudinal evidence on polarization and persistence

In recent years the distribution of work in Britain has "hollowed out", with a growth in the proportions of both "work-rich" and" work-poor" households. The growth in twoand zero-earner couples evident in cross-sectional snapshots has different implications for the distribution of family income (in long and short terms) according to whether more people are experiencing episodes of a given length or a given number of couples are returning to those states more often or staying in them for longer. Longitudinal evidence for Britain from the ONS Longitudinal Study and the BHPS is used to investigate transitions between and durations in these states. Estimates allow for socioeconomic covariates, such as women’s education. Whatever way we look at the two data sets, the relative and growing stability of the two-earner couple is apparent. Our results are set in the context of known changes in the cross-sectional distribution of family income in Britain JEL categories: J12, J13, J21, J22