Ok I was off by 3 years.....

I really don't think the feminist movement is the downfall of women. My mother had to work in the 1950's but that was the exception. Most women have to work now just to keep up with expenses.

I, as a single woman, have worked since high school.

You should have married a rich man. Just kidding, but that is what they used to tell the girls when I was a kid.

Expenses seems to be a relative term today. What expenses? Cable TV? You can get local free. Cell phone? Drop the data provision and you save money. Credit cards? I use one and pay it off at the end of the month. See what I mean? WE all live a grand lifestyle compared to others that live in other countries. Our supposed poverty level folks live as well as middle class overseas.

Just adding to the conversation and in no way meaning to disparage you. I admire any woman that has the motivation to work, rather than take gov handouts. My wife worked part-time to help with putting our children in private schooling. And she worked overseas part-time to keep busy. She enjoyed it. It wasn't necessary but she liked it.

Any one person in a marriage can sustain a living for two today. But, we insist on living a better lifestyle such as we see on TV and commercials. We don't need two or three large TVs, but we buy them. WE don't need surround sound with our TV, or premium cable channels. We don't need a new car or fancy upgrades to our homes. And we don't need to go on frequent cruises. But, we do. Because we can. If both partners work then we can have all of those things.

Our country is at it's peak. I believe that the next generation will not have it quite so well, and the next will have it even less. We are probably the last generation to have our cake and eat it too.

Where did the middle class go?