The Great Recession has changed family dynamics, with more women becoming the family's main breadwinner and more importance placed on what women earn, according the to the Carey Institute at the University of New Hampshire.
During the height of the Great Recession, from 2008 to 2009, men disproportionately lost more jobs than women, as construction and manufacturing industries lost the most jobs, according to Boston.com.
During this same time period, women's contribution of the household income increased from 45 percent to 47 percent, the largest jump in a single year during the past 15 years.
Although employed wives contribute to nearly half of their family's household income, women still earn 77 cents to the dollar that men earn.
How has the recession affected your family's household income? Are you working more or less? Have you jumped into the workforce to help out with the household income? Is it a waste of time for a woman to work if she is only making 77 cents on the dollar? Tell us in the comments section.