Extended Households at Work: Living Arrangements and Inequality in Single Mothers' Employment

This paper investigates how the presence of other adults in the household influences employment rates and inequality among single mothers who are White, Black, Mexican, or Puerto Rican. Data from the 1998 to 2000 Current Population Surveys shows that Black single mothers experience no employment inequality compared to Whites if they are cohabiting outside marriage or hosting an extended household. For Black single mothers, the employment disadvantage is concentrated among those without other adults in the household. Mexican and Puerto Rican single mothers, however, display an employment disadvantage across all household types. Although the presence of other adults in a single mother’s household appears to increase employment, this advantage has important limits.