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Originally Posted by Fiat_Lux
When the minimum wage was first proposed, the theory was that somebody earning a minimum wage would be able to have a wife and raise two children, without needing assistance, financial or other, from third parties. The target income was solid lower-middle class.
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In the United States, the earliest minimum wage laws were state laws focused on women and children, to counter sweatshop abuse. Wikipedia has cites for the sources.