People advocate for an increase in the minimum wage in order to have enough money for food, housing, and daily needs. The minimum wage is not intended to allow a single parent or a single person to live on their sole income. The real reason for creating the minimum wage was to ensure fair pay for work. These wages were set for people who could not get a better-paying job because of their skills. These people were generally people with low intellectual abilities, young people or high school students. Most workers who now earn minimum wage are young adults who work only part time. Older workers earning minimum wage also typically work part-time. They work to earn extra money on top of their salary from a full-time job. Along the same lines, you can use the minimum wage to contribute to living expenses, but you can't live on that amount alone..