The 2 working parent family

StevieJ

With you Olly, my mum and most other mums worked, the ones that didn't and were not in charge of very small children were considered by us kids as either lazy, loaded or not up to it

Graham_Devon

Generali wrote: »

One of the reasons two people 'need' to work is that people want a higher standard of living today than in the past. Look at what people own and how they live now compared to 1982: double glazing was still a luxury then; lots of people didn't have central heating throughout the house; a second TV, if it existed, was likely to be a small black and white portable rather than having a flat screen TV each; 'nobody' had a computer at home; second cars were rarer; 'nobody' drove huge fuel guzzling behemoths; a single short haul foreign holiday a year was all that anyone could aspire to; no mobile phones, pay TV or broadband; eating out was a very occasional treat for most and so on.

Some of those things simply didn't exist though. So it would have been hard to purchase them. So not really a fair comparison.

There's stuff I distinctly remember my mum and dad buying that I wouldn't buy now too....

A chimney sweep, coal, a video hire card, rental payments for the TV and video, catologue accounts (same as internet shopping today I guess, just more expensive), laundry fees (no washing machine) etc etc.

Pretty much all cars were gas guzzlers too, it's just petrol was cheaper. I remember dad saying he used to achieve roughly 18mpg in his standard family estate running on 4 star. They were, in my dads words, far more expensive to run too, often needing new parts every few months, and needing an engine rebuild at 70-80k.

The second car is usually only bought because 2 people need to be in two differing locations. I don't know many (if any) with 2 cars simply to have one sat on the drive all week. I remember the place I was bought up in having the school, health centre, butcher, bakers, greengrocers etc all within walking distance. The health centre, butcher, greengrocers, bakers etc no longer exist, so you need to travel approx 4 miles to the supermarket to buy all these things....hence often proving the ned for the second car.

It's swings and roundabouts really, but I believe it's unfair to list those items and suggest people didn't buy them then therefore didn't need the same amount of money....but we all need them now. It's just a different era, with different demands. I certainly don't think were working more simply to buy extravagent items.

One thing I distinctly remember was that we used to go to a babysitter, and sit in the back of a shop premises with other kids playing with toys, drawing, playing out the back etc. The person babysitting us was running a womens garmant / wool shop. She used to charge tiny amounts to look after us. Couldn't do that now!!!

homelessskilledworker

chewmylegoff wrote: »

my mum was a teacher, she went back to work when i went to primary school, so took about 6 years off work all together as i have an older sister. unfortunately she decided to work at the same primary school that i went to. i wish she had stayed at home!

You are the son of a teacher!!

I find that very hard to believe going on the way you write and articulate yourself. And for future reference it is "I went to primary" "I wish" "I have and older sister".

ukcarper

As someone who bought children up in the 80s I thought I would have my say.

My wife worked part time, evening bar work and office cleaning before children reached school age and office work after.

I’m not sure where Graham was bought up but we had a washing machine, central heating and shopped in a supermarket. We had one car my wife using it in the evenings we would shop at the weekend or late opening night.

There was an acceptance that if you had children you would sacrifice a fare amount in the early years.

While to a certain extent Graham is right when he says certain items weren’t available the percentage of our salary spent on entertainment and luxury items was very low.

As for petrol I have never own a car that did less than 30mph and they were big enough for a family of 4/5.

　

Graham_Devon

ukcarper wrote: »

As someone who bought children up in the 80s I thought I would have my say.

My wife worked part time, evening bar work and office cleaning before children reached school age and office work after.

I’m not sure where Graham was bought up but we had a washing machine, central heating and shopped in a supermarket. We had one car my wife using it in the evenings we would shop at the weekend or late opening night.

There was an acceptance that if you had children you would sacrifice a fare amount in the early years.

While to a certain extent Graham is right when he says certain items weren’t available the percentage of our salary spent on entertainment and luxury items was very low.

As for petrol I have never own a car that did less than 30mph and they were big enough for a family of 4/5.

　

Was bought up in a late 1800s terrace. No central heating in that. Remember the coal fire and portable gas heaters, the ones with the gas bottle in the back, and remember the distinct smell.

Don't particularly think that it's out of place for me to suggest central heating was not common in the 80s.

As for the car, Ford Granada, (2.9, I think?). Had another before that. Ford estate, but don't know what the model was. Just remember the various colour sidewings as apparently they simply rusted out and you had to replace them pretty often!

There was a supermarket, probably 10 miles away (car four?), and we used to go there sometimes, but I remember most day to day shopping was done locally. Remember the whole salmonella thing with eggs, and buying our first eggs after the scare from the local shop again. Mum still has one of the margarine tubs with some sewing bits in it, still with the original price sticker on it from the local shop!

ukcarper

Graham_Devon wrote: »

Was bought up in a late 1800s terrace. No central heating in that. Remember the coal fire and portable gas heaters, the ones with the gas bottle in the back, and remember the distinct smell.

Don't particularly think that it's out of place for me to suggest central heating was not common in the 80s.

As for the car, Ford Granada, (2.9, I think?). Had another before that. Ford estate, but don't know what the model was. Just remember the various colour sidewings as apparently they simply rusted out and you had to replace them pretty often!

There was a supermarket, probably 10 miles away (car four?), and we used to go there sometimes, but I remember most day to day shopping was done locally. Remember the whole salmonella thing with eggs, and buying our first eggs after the scare from the local shop again. Mum still has one of the margarine tubs with some sewing bits in it, still with the original price sticker on it from the local shop!

Central heating was pretty common in 80s Ford Granada was a big car I had a Cortina equivalent of Mondeo. We shopped once a week in supermarkets about 5 miles away only difference we had a milkman.

YoungBusinessman

StevieJ wrote: »

With you Olly, my mum and most other mums worked, the ones that didn't and were not in charge of very small children were considered by us kids as either lazy, loaded or not up to it

Il second this one, the "not up to it" used loosely!!

CLAPTON

even in 1970 30% of households had central heating, over 50% by 1980 and 79% by 1990

so depends upon what is meant by 'not common'

andyroberts1967

I was born in 1967 and my mother tells me I've never lived in a house without central heating. We always lived in modern houses (mostly new builds) though, so I guess properties after I was born would have been built with central heating as standard.
My mum worked part time, she had some sort of factory job, which I know she hated, but it paid for treats for us kids I'm sure. As soon as we were adults she packed the job in, but then by that time my dad had gone up in his career, so they didn't need the second wage anyway.
Ah, happy days!!

N1AK

homelessskilledworker wrote: »

"I went to primary" "I wish" "I have and older sister".

For future reference it's: "I went to primary", "I wish" and "I have an older sister".

Normally I wouldn't care but apparently it's point of trifling little things for no reason day