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A dual-income family isn’t necessarily evidence that you need two incomes to survive. Rather, it just means there’s a lot of things out there to buy, so it's worth paying for childcare to earn more money.

It’s also a sign that the gender income gap decreased, because it’s worth both people’s time to work. It’s not worth womens’ time to work either when the family is poor (because they can’t earn much and might as well do home/childcare labor) or rich (because the amount one partner can add with a job effectively doesn't matter).

This means the easiest way to get back to a one-income family is to lower womens’ wages again, so you probably shouldn’t wish for it.




Most families need two incomes in my experience.

"This means the easiest way to get back to a one-income family is to lower womens’ wages again, so you probably shouldn’t wish for it."

There's no connection to this and the rest of your post. It also assumes that families don't need two incomes to stay out of poverty or off of assistance.

The easiest ways according to your post is to make a family poor or rich.


> Most families need two incomes in my experience.

Probably depends on the neighborhood - there's claims in this thread that single motherhood is up, but those can't both be true. (I don't have any evidence to add here.)

> The easiest ways according to your post is to make a family poor or rich.

Yes, but making someone poor's a lot easier. Murphy's law, y'know.


"but those can't both be true"

They can. I think you're missing one of my key parts - without assistance. It's highly likely single mothers are getting child support. It's possible they are getting assistance too.

Just look at the stats on how much people have saved in emergency funds and for retirement. That should show you the dire need for two incomes.




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