It isn't just the feminist movement. The cost of living forces families to work multiple jobs to handle all the bills. And that doesn't always work either.
You are right. Our tax policies have forced too many moms to work and too many dads to work more than one job or a job with long hours. Our culture encourages consumption and spoiling of children with too many things that parents feel they have to pay for. Many parents have to work to afford private school because the public schools are so bad. There are many things we could do as a society to help parents be able to spend more time with their kids.
My wife was laid off from her job in June '03 and it was the best thing to happen to us. Money is tight but she would have never quit without being forced. As a result, my two- and four-year-old daughters have had their mommy around for nearly a year and a half. Not every day is a good day, but our family is better off emotionally (if not yet financially).
quote from a response in this thread
"The cost of living forces families to work multiple jobs to handle all the bills"
um... If most people actually added up the cost of their wives jobs, including everything from work clothes, to gas, to day care, to the higher income tax bracket that the extra job puts them into ...
Most would realize they are working for nearly nothing, and are cheating their children and themselves of the most important moments in life.
It's the taxes. Meanwhile, we *pay* an Earned Income Tax credit to families with less income.
No, the cost of GOVERNMENT makes it necessary for both parents to work. Shame on all the greedy free-loaders who want a government check, and the politicians who enable them to get their votes, all at the expense of the children who have really lousy lives. You really don't think that a little one wants to be rousted out of a warm bed at 7:00AM and trundled to face a day of being one of a dozen or more kids competing for the attention of two adults, neither of whom are paid much more than minimum wage. This really should qualify as child abuse.
Women got what they asked for, equality. They can work in construction, be in the Army, etc. But in the old days a man could easily make a living wage. After the work force increased men were paid less than they would have been if there had been more competition and mothers who didn't want to work, had to.
I disagree with this. It's not the cost of living, it's the cost of wanting everything right now that forces moms to work.
Becky
But let's face it, there is a heck of a lot more stuff out there to buy than 50 years ago. Back then houses were smaller, you didn't necessarily need a car, the extent of a home entertainment system was a radio. You could still live pretty cheaply if you want to live like you did 50 years ago, but people aren't going to knock down the door to do that.