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This paper is based on a study of 391 family‐business‐owning couples where the husband is the business owner. The purpose of the study was to examine the work involvement of the wife in the business, the business tensions, and the impact of those tensions on family business success. Fifty‐seven percent of wives worked in thebusiness, 47% of whom were paid. Forty‐two percent of wives were considered major decision makers. Having more than one decision maker in the business impacted certain types of inclusion tension. Business and family success outcomes varied by level of tensions. There was initial evidence of a threshold where business tensions begin to affect business success negatively.

The influence of employment sector on the income of Hispanics is examined using data from the 1990 U.S. Decennial Census. Human capital theory is augmented with measures of acculturation, and income equations are estimated separately for self-employed Hispanics and Hispanic wage earners. The results suggest that self-employment offers economic benefits. The importance of acculturation varies by employment sector. Decomposition of the differences in income between self-employed Hispanics and Hispanic wage earners indicates that these income differences are due more to differences in worker characteristics between the two employment sectors than to differences in rates of return to these characteristics.

With the increase in female self-employment, there is a need to examine the intersection between race/ethnicity and gender. This study examined whether gender differences in income exist for self-employed Hispanics residing in California using data from the 1990 U.S. decennial census. Theories stressing human capital, social capital, and acculturation were combined and income equations were estimated separately for Hispanic self-employed men and Hispanic self-employed women. The sample consisted of 7,760 Hispanic self-employed persons (64% self-employed men versus 36% self-employed women). Multiple regression analysis suggests income differences in self-employment do exist by gender. For example, having less than a high school education relative to being a high school graduate decreased self-employment income for both men and women, but the effect was larger for men. Furthermore, decomposition analysis suggests income differences between genders are due both to differences in worker characteristics and rates of return to these characteristics.

The proposed framework is intended to serve as a model for understanding the comprehensiveness of welfare assistance policies that contribute to the economic well‐being of individuals and families. The framework uses a systems approach to move thinking from a narrow focus on welfare assistance as welfare for the few to well‐being of the many. Such an approach provides a new way to understand policies and language related to welfare reform.