How can families afford children?

Re:How can families afford children? by lacker on Tuesday March 06, 2018 @11:50AM (#16529987)

"Jobs for women are higher-paying and more satisfying than ever before, and that raises the opportunity cost of having large families" This is not true. Depending on the wife for income prevents her from focusing on having a large family.

You claim to be disagreeing but I think you are agreeing with that comment. By referring to "opportunity cost", the author means precisely that when a woman works it is harder to have a large family. Not having a job is one opportunity cost of children.

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Re:How can families afford children? by aidenn0 on Tuesday March 06, 2018 @12:19PM (#16530228)

I believe that craig1f is claiming that if most women did not work, wages would be higher for those women that do work (due to reduced labor supply), so increased labor participation for women has lowered the opportunity cost compared to a hypothetical world in which women work.

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Re:How can families afford children? by klipt on Tuesday March 06, 2018 @12:35PM (#16530361)

So back when being a stay at home mom was the norm, it was hard, but now that working moms are the norm, being a stay at home mom is easy? I don't think that checks out.

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Re:How can families afford children? by watwut on Tuesday March 06, 2018 @12:48PM (#16530476)

While being stay at home was the norm, around 33.9% of women in 1950 worked and it continued to go up. That is not completely negligible number. (The number for males was closer to 86.4%)

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Re:How can families afford children? by craig1f on Tuesday March 06, 2018 @01:39PM (#16530902)

I think that things are hard for different reasons. Nothing will ever be easy. If you believe life will get to the point that it's easy, you've got things wrong.

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