Oh isn't it wonderful to be a wife in America!

The Pew Research report on the rise of women, or more specifically, the rise of wives, just came out last month. The key takeaway? It's good to be a married woman today!

On the surface, the report should make women feel pretty good.

• There are a lot more men whose wives make more money than they do—from 4% of married men in 1970 to 22% in 2007
• Women are more educated than men—amongst married couples, wives tend to be more educated than husbands, and more women than men are graduating from colleges

But...

A woman still makes only $0.71 for every $1.00 that a similarly qualified man makes.

Yes, it's a step forward from 1950, when a woman made $0.52 for every $1.00 that a man made. But we still have $0.29 to go before the finish line.

Those last few cents will be hard to even out. Nowadays, few folks talk about feminism or equality for women. When it comes up, it's about the wonderful strides women have made. Folks will point to the Pew Report as proof. Things may not be equal, but it's equal enough that it doesn't feel like a worthy cause.

Putting numbers aside, I'm interested in the human stories. A girlfriend who is the breadwinner in her family told me that she takes care not to talk about work at home. She agreed when her husband wanted to keep working instead of stay at home with their young children, even though his take-home pay was pretty much the cost of daycare for the kids. But that's what keeps their marriage going strong. Perhaps there is an opportunity for a documentary to capture their story, and stories of other such families.

In the mean time, ladies, keep running!