Yes, because the "minimum living standard" has risen due to the extra income. If everyone's income doubled (adjusted for inflation), that then so would what society considers a minimum living.

This sentiment also seems to gloss over the contribution of stay at home partners. Just because they don't get paid, doesn't mean they aren't producing anything. Thus, the jump in resources from moving to double income is not the full amount of the second income.

I definitely understand what you are saying. But I would rather compare families of 4 since that is close to the norm today. Houses are bigger, real estate is more expensive, shopping is not often walkable (in suburbia/rural areas). So for the stay at home parent they are stuck if you only have 1 car. This isn't very good for when the kids need to visit a doctor or the homemaker needs to shop for groceries, etc. We live in a much faster paced world. How many people come home from work today and put on slippers and a sweater. Then eat their dinner and read the paper or watch the news? The Norman Rockwell version of American life has mostly disappeared. The Joneses are fast, keeping up takes lots of time and money.

Look at the lifestyles of folks back in the 1970's. Houses were smaller, people had just one car, etc.

The reason households "need" two incomes is because people want stuff.

The big reason was that from 1945 until the late 70s, America had a huge wealth gap compared the rest of the world. Half of Europe was communist, the other half recovering from a major war. Asia was still poor and technological backwards AND was recovering from war.

Western Europe's heavy handed socialism wasn't as competitive as their light socialism is now.

America was the undisputed leader of the economically free world.

All the sudden by the 1970's, the US had to start competing more and more with the rest of the world. Our super high wages for unskilled labor just weren't competitive on a global scale.

Also, women moving in the job market actually lowers wages because the worker supply expanded greatly.

whats the solution? less workforce?

china wont stop, and capitalism will ruthlessly choose the cheapest route.

Real estate costs have risen - thats a huge undercounted cost. I remember reading that at one point the avg house price was 3-4 times annual household income. In many economic hotspots around the West today that seems like a fable from a mythical past.

I think in Kansas you can get a house very cheap