Okay, so he's being intentionally misleading in this piece, rather than presenting an academic view. I'm fine with that stance, too. He's welcome to argue that

Okay, so he's being intentionally misleading in this piece, rather than presenting an academic view. I'm fine with that stance, too. He's welcome to argue that the average household is "better off" as long as he's willing to subtract the added costs this situation creates. Or you can calculate doing the reverse; calculate the value generated with a greater number of stay-at-home parents in the 70s, so that this opportunity cost is reflected in the numbers when a second earner enters the formal workforce. Then at least we're comparing apples to apples and we can see where we end up. It's totally possible those lower-income cohorts are better off now, but he hasn't attempted to prove it. Also, it's a lie to present this as individuals earning more money unless you acknowledge that you're averaging individuals across households, and not comparing ACTUAL working individuals.. And admit that you're factoring in some number of individuals in the 70s earning $0 and some other number of individuals today earning $0.