Who's supposed to pay these wages? To take a completely economic lens to it - not passing judgment - weren't these wages already priced in to a degree when middle class families were largely single-income by the male breadwinner, since those labor sectors largely excluded females, keeping worker supply low and allowing a higher prevailing wage?

Childcare is avoidable if you avoid making children.

Cool, then who's going to pay the bills when you're retired?

I understand your implication.

There are a lot of grown up adult children that are being supported by their elderly parents.

It doesn't always work out as you are implying.

Others children, of course. Unless there aren't enough, and then there's a problem.

Alrighty. Celibacy for the nation? Greatly better sex eduction? Greater access to birth control? Free sterilization for those who desire it? What about the times these things fail? And so on.

Most folks aren't cut out for celibacy, honestly. And every other option costs money. Besides, we actually need some folks to have kids, so we still have to deal with this sort of issue.