They definitely did, and such care fell upon the housewife or mother (and in the absence of the housewife... Yeah, people died poor and ugly deaths in old age).

They definitely did, and such care fell upon the housewife or mother (and in the absence of the housewife... Yeah, people died poor and ugly deaths in old age). Since we won't and shouldn't solve this problem by going back to the traditional patriarchal family structure, we must look to other alternatives. And one such alternative would be finding a way to recouple labor to employee earnings such that a married couple with one working spouse can support a family of four.