The other breadwinners

Abstract

This study examines black families' reliance on secondary wage earners in Atlanta, GA during the early twentieth century (1900 and 1936). In periods of economic prosperity and decline, two-parent black families routinely relied on the employment of mothers, children, and extended kin to supplement the family income. These other breadwinners had different positions within the black family economy, and families' reliance on them was affected by diverse, albeit complementary factors. The employment of mothers and children was affected by economic need and the demands associated with the family life cycle. The presence of working relatives in extended family households was affected by the age of relatives, household size, and, to a limited degree, the ages of the host families' children.

Keywords:

• Black/African American families
• Employment
• Family strategy
• Family history

Acknowledgements

An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Annual Conference of the National Council on Family Relations in Denver, CO, in November 1991.