The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families

Fifty years ago, four in 10 American families survived on a single income. Now, the days of the single-income household are long gone. For the first time in U.S. history, the majority of all heterosexual households have two full-time, working parents. Now, both parents in more than half (52%) of heterosexual couples with kids under 18 hold full-time jobs, according to a Pew Research analysis of 2025 U.S. Census Bureau data. As a result, the stay-at-home parent is also on the decline. About a fourth of families are made up of a dad who works full-time and a mom who is unemployed. Pew found that just 6% of moms work full-time while their male partner isn’t employed, or works part-time. That’s twice as many moms as 50 years ago. Another 14% of working parents aren’t married or don’t live with a partner. Pew Research Center The split between dads and moms working isn’t the same across all racial backgrounds. Six in 10 partnered Black mothers work full-time, down from 64% in 2000. Meanwhile, the share of working Asian and white moms has increased over time. Now, 54% of Asian moms and 52% of white moms work full-time. About 45% Asian and white moms worked full-time 25 years ago. Hispanic families are an outlier: the percentage of full-time, double-income families has held steady over the last 25 years at about 44%. Another third of Hispanic mothers aren’t employed, the highest rate of unemployment across racial groups. Educational background also shapes how moms work. About seven in 10 partnered mothers with an advanced degree work full-time. Over half of moms with a bachelor’s degree work full-time, compared to 43% of moms with less education. Families where both parents work at least part-time see more financial benefits than families where just the father works, Pew found, even as all parents surveyed said their family’s work arrangement has not had a positive or negative effect on their career advancement. More employed, more involved The increase of house