Final answer:
The breadwinner/housewife model did not offer women economic equality because it denied them access to a living wage and undervalued their domestic work. Lower wages for women and systemic racial inequality, especially impacting Black women, further exacerbated the economic disparity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The breadwinner/housewife model did not offer women economic equality because access to a living wage came through men, and the work women did in maintaining a household was not recognized as work. During the early industrial period, working-class wives supplemented family income through home-based work. Unfortunately, their labor did not bring in wages comparable to the family wage earned by men. The ideal of the breadwinner/housewife model entrapped many women in a cycle of dependency and undervalued labor.
Moreover, societal norms dictated that women should not seek employment outside the home unless in extreme financial need or wartime. Women who did work outside, regardless of economic pressures, were often stigmatized. Those who ventured into the labor market due to necessity occupied positions with limited career prospects and lower wages, reinforcing economic disparity.
The racial inequality exacerbating this issue was undeniable. Black women, in particular, could not rely on the family wage system, often because Black men faced systemic inequality in the labor market which hindered their ability to attain jobs that paid a family wage. Consequently, Black women continuously participated in the workforce, frequently in roles deeply rooted in racial and gender discrimination.