Squilliam wrote:Is it really culture Newfie? If you consider things like 'the two income trap -- why middle class families are going bankrupt' from Elizabeth Warren for instance it seems that one significant reason for the decline in relationships is the rise and necessity for dual incomes in middle class households.
Or, as usual, liberals don't prioritize things like free choice and personal responsibility, as much as more conservatively minded people might.
I have some friends who made a conscious choice. Choose a less fancy lifestyle (smaller house, less spending in general), and have the wife stay home, take care of the kids, and do all the important and necessary things that housewives did in, say, the 70's. (Like my mom did in the 60's and 70's).
Small sample size (several families), but overall these families seem happier and more "together" than most, even if they don't have McMansions and vacation in Europe frequently.
And this isn't sexist -- today some of my married friends have the male playing the role at home and the woman is out in the corporate world bringing in a good salary.
I think too often today, people endlessly make the claim of "necessity" of a lot of irresponsible economic decisions that have FAR more to do with status and their own desires than what is really best for things like how much attention and energy their children get from their parents.
Now of course, the liberal politicians claim to have the answer (as always) -- more nanny state and more taxes. Meanwhile, as long as the vast majority of people are playing "keeping up with the Joneses" (which millionaires often do too), the relationship stresses and the problems for the kids getting too little meaningful attention don't go away.
Given the track record of the perma-doomer blogs, I wouldn't bet a fast crash doomer's money on their predictions.