Both spouses must work, though high-quality day care is expensive and hard to find.

Today in too many families, both spouses work because they have to work.

The spouse can work and the child can go to school.

She believes that households in which only one spouse works outside the home is the best way to raise a family.

One reason is that some spouses may not be working because of health problems, insurance actuaries said.

On the other hand, that $12,000 ranch house now costs more than $200,000, and both spouses work full time to pay for it.

The families usually have more than two children, and the spouse does not work.

At those wages, having a spouse working full time won't do much good either.

That penalty, however, is paid only when both spouses work.

The premium decreases to $248 in 2012 if you or your spouse worked just over 10 years.