Benefits living with partner

sangie595

boliston wrote: »

I think you will find that these days having only one partner working is simply not possible unless that partner is a high earner - people on average or below average incomes would have a lot of difficulty on a single income.

I wasn't commenting on ease. I was saying that a partnership is not defined by both working. How easy one not working is depends on many factors. Nevertheless, many couples do manage it. Often because the alternative is even harder. People on average or below average incomes are usually the ones with least choice in the matter - their employment is often less family friendly and the cost of childcare too high for both to work. It is my observation that the higher the individual income, the more likely you are to find two wage earners in a household - probably because higher levels of education and skills/ experience tend to accompany higher wages, and more women in these circumstances are unlikely to be willing to sacrifice career and salary. And they can afford to make that choice. If you can't afford nursery fees for example, then it is usual that a parent, normally the mother, stays at home. In so doing, that person often loses their place in the workforce, their income potential and skills, making it even more likely that they will end up taking no work, or work that is below their ability. That is what the gender pay gap is primarily rooted in, although it is true to say that studies show that where men stay at home as primary child care, the same thing usually happens.

robatwork

boliston wrote: »

I think you will find that these days having only one partner working is simply not possible unless that partner is a high earner - people on average or below average incomes would have a lot of difficulty on a single income.

Eh?

This depends very much on the area of the country and the circumstances of the couple's savings.

In some places you can buy a house outright on a year's UK average salary.