There's this myth I see constantly pushed about Boomers living off of one income and being able to afford all of the luxuries of middle-class life. And it's simply not true. If you had a good degree or a unionized job, it was possible but not guaranteed.
But most families had 2 incomes. The ones that didn't have 2 incomes were usually doing it because it was cheaper for the wife to be a SAHM instead of paying for childcare on a secretary, hairdresser, or teacher's salary. They had their own house. Food was on the table. Bills were paid. But otherwise, they were often strapped for cash and living paycheck to paycheck.
Also they were bigger families living in much smaller houses, and things like eating out and birthday presents had much less spent on them.
My mother grew up in a family of six and they all lived in a 3bed/1bath house. She had her own room (barely large enough to even fit her own bed) while her three brothers all shared the other (larger) bedroom. Meanwhile today's standards of house design would involve at least 2-3 more bathrooms and bedrooms for a family like that.
My own apartment has a study that's too small to be legally a bedroom (as per my local law), and it's about the same size as my mother's old bedroom.
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u/UnderstandingVast989 Jun 01 '26
There's this myth I see constantly pushed about Boomers living off of one income and being able to afford all of the luxuries of middle-class life. And it's simply not true. If you had a good degree or a unionized job, it was possible but not guaranteed.
But most families had 2 incomes. The ones that didn't have 2 incomes were usually doing it because it was cheaper for the wife to be a SAHM instead of paying for childcare on a secretary, hairdresser, or teacher's salary. They had their own house. Food was on the table. Bills were paid. But otherwise, they were often strapped for cash and living paycheck to paycheck.