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In simple agricultural societies, primitive hunter-gatherer societies, feudal societies, &c, both parents generally work (or worked). It's just that they both w

In simple agricultural societies, primitive hunter-gatherer societies, feudal societies, &c, both parents generally work (or worked). It's just that they both worked in or near the home. Having a single-working-parent household has probably never been sustainable for any length of time, in any kind of society. Women generally contribute considerably to factors in the economy, whether it's stuff like nets and rush mats or ballpoint pens and machine-sewn shirts. What is different about industrial society is that parents can do basically no meaningful work around their children, and so they can't be available for their children, because not working is not an option.

themaninthedark 2y ago
Correct and that is why I talked about both parents working away from home in an (post) industrialized society. Another point that should not be lost is that homemaking/homecare is a job abet not a GDP generating one. With some of our advancements; time savings(dishwashers, clothes dryers and washing machines), food logistics(grocery stores with fresh food vs growing & canning), fast fashion(cheap clothing) we have taken the job from being a full time position to part time. This triggers a shift in labor allocation, we now(ideally) split the part time job between the family members to allow the adults to focus on profit generating activities.