1) Yes, they did. The competitiveness of minimum wage has been in decline for the better part of the last 70 years. 2) Another piece of it, speaking to your ex

1) Yes, they did. The competitiveness of minimum wage has been in decline for the better part of the last 70 years. 2) Another piece of it, speaking to your example, is that women in the workplace were much more often "second-earners" 50 years ago. This is much less true today.