I would absolutely give up my career to be a househusband, but increasingly, one income isn’t sufficient to support a family. I work in tech and even my salary (or my wife’s) cannot support the two of us + children. Yes we’d save some childcare costs, but that’s about it. If anything, your other expenses on an average remain the same but your standard of living drops because there’s less income.
Housewives Are One Surprising Solution to “Millennial Burnout”
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Re: Housewives Are One Surprising Solution to “Millennial Burnout”
#12Does this surprise anyone this has been the way households have been structured for millennia, even among the elite aristocrats of ancient Rome, or Egyptian dynastys there would always the woman was primarily responsible for the running of the home, which despite what it sounds like could be quite a daunting affair, similar on the level of running a small business.
I couldn't do what I do without my wife, she is just as critical to running the household as I am. Honestly how did we convince half of society that it was liberating and freedom to be able to slave away for a corporate wage day in and day out?
Re: Housewives Are One Surprising Solution to “Millennial Burnout”
#13[flagged]
Re: Housewives Are One Surprising Solution to “Millennial Burnout”
#14> Housewifing bears a different kind of opportunity cost than breadwinning Yes. The opportunity cost of housewifing is breadwinning. The opportunity cost of breadwinning is housewifing. Guess which one pays the rent/mortgage (keywords not found in the text.)
I would point out that for many people the cost of paying for childcare during work hours is comparable to the income generated from said work. Those people have essentially no incentive to work unless they want to avoid their kids.
Even if it's a wash dollar wise, staying employed often means you get healthcare and retirement benefits AND the career progression that ideally comes with long term stable employment. Trying to hop back on the treadmill after a 5-10 year absence often has a huge opportunity cost on your lifetime earnings.
Re: Housewives Are One Surprising Solution to “Millennial Burnout”
#15I have seen the joke more than a few times about how women would also love to have a wife to take care of the home and everything mentioned in the article, but unfortunately they are straight and so they would have to be the wife. I went on a date with a guy who told me he is looking for a housewife with everything that you would expect and actually lean more into the 1950's version. Later in the date he let out that…
I had the opposite problem, my ex wanted to be taken care of and not have to work (traditional housespouse); but they expected me to do half of the housework (or more, in the case of the dogs they wanted).
I would work 8-10hrs a day, then spend another 1.5ish walking dogs and .5-1ish doing house chores. After I was done, I would have to listen to them complain about how exhausted they were mopping the floors.
When I would mention to friends of the opposite gender that I felt taken advantage of and that they should contribute the majority of housework for their "free ride" (or get a job and contribute to expenses), the entire conversation would be warped into me being a sexist or abuser. It was a weird societal gaslight, for sure.
Re: Housewives Are One Surprising Solution to “Millennial Burnout”
#16Does this surprise anyone this has been the way households have been structured for millennia, even among the elite aristocrats of ancient Rome, or Egyptian dynastys there would always the woman was primarily responsible for the running of the home, which despite what it sounds like could be quite a daunting affair, similar on the level of running a small business. I couldn't do what I do without my wife, she is just…
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Re: Housewives Are One Surprising Solution to “Millennial Burnout”
#17Always interesting to see those in modern secular society where women are scorned for not wanting/having a career and staying home with the family come around to the reality that societies worldwide have known for centuries.
Re: Housewives Are One Surprising Solution to “Millennial Burnout”
#18I would absolutely give up my career to be a househusband, but increasingly, one income isn’t sufficient to support a family. I work in tech and even my salary (or my wife’s) cannot support the two of us + children. Yes we’d save some childcare costs, but that’s about it. If anything, your other expenses on an average remain the same but your standard of living drops because there’s less income.
Yeah, a single income household isn't realistic for most Americans.
Re: Housewives Are One Surprising Solution to “Millennial Burnout”
#19Does this surprise anyone this has been the way households have been structured for millennia, even among the elite aristocrats of ancient Rome, or Egyptian dynastys there would always the woman was primarily responsible for the running of the home, which despite what it sounds like could be quite a daunting affair, similar on the level of running a small business. I couldn't do what I do without my wife, she is just…
It is liberating to have a choice and agency.
Re: Housewives Are One Surprising Solution to “Millennial Burnout”
#20> Housewifing bears a different kind of opportunity cost than breadwinning Yes. The opportunity cost of housewifing is breadwinning. The opportunity cost of breadwinning is housewifing. Guess which one pays the rent/mortgage (keywords not found in the text.)
If both partners work then: - many more meals must be ordered in or eaten out instead of prepared from scratch - transportation cost increases, more vehicles needed which means more gas more insurance more repairs or more transit fare and now both people sacrifice possibly hours of their day to commuting - childcare services must be paid for and transportation arranged for them - the choice of housing now has the add…
and your second income is taxed at your marginal rate, to pay for a $1 of child care you need around $1.33 to $1.50 in income. Put another way, avoiding $1 in expenses is like earning up to $1.5 at work.
But the real issue is what the article points out, that this often leaves the stay at home parent “trapped” and dependent on the working spouse. What do you do when you’ve been out of the workforce 20+ years, kids out of the house (no child support), and you need to support yourself now?