* Two earners...until you have kids and look into the price of daycare for say 2 kids...then it literally makes $ sense to have 1 spouse stay home. The cost of daycare and childcare has significantly outstripped inflation since the pandemic.
But now, simultaneously, there are two income households with zero kids. That's the new benchmark.
I'm not going to judge / critique / question why it is, but the shift from one income per household to two has create economic chaos. Chaos we have yet to come to terms with.
But more irony, from an economic POV there are couples opting out of families because of the costs. And the new benchmark nudges up...
People without kids also tend to compete in different areas for housing. A place with a great view in a bad school district could be appealing. Where people with kids typically want a SFH in the burbs in a good school district.
Really the strongest competitor in the housing market is the older generation with more disposable income and a house(s) already.
And you don't see the younger ones because, yes they still have economic headroom to travel.
If you both are making FAANG comp sure, keep working. If your spouse is a teacher? Maybe not.
For people who already own their own home, though, it's a pretty attractive living if you like kids. Most of the home daycares we looked at are run by people who bought ~10-15 years ago, and they make a very good living, and oftentimes have the house fully paid off. Either that or they bought recently but are pooling resources from multiple family members to afford the house, and then have them helping out with the childcare.