Today, if any middle-class family is asked what their biggest concerns are, the answers will likely be similar—expensive education for their children, the dream of owning a home, rising healthcare costs, and the ever-increasing cost of everyday life. Even after years of saving, an average working person is unable to purchase a home. Private school fees have become so high that children’s education has become the largest share of the family budget. Therefore, the natural question is: why has this happened?
In recent years, a growing view has emerged that the primary cause of these problems is the large-scale entry of women into the workforce. It is argued that when both husband and wife began earning, the total income of families increased. The market seized on this opportunity and raised the prices of housing, schools, and other essential services. Supporters of this view also argue that women’s departure from the home weakened families, affected childrearing, and increased social instability.
This argument may seem appealing to some at first glance, as it is becoming increasingly difficult for most urban families to survive on a single income. However, any social and economic change cannot be analyzed based on a single factor. Society, the economy, and families are influenced by many interconnected factors. Therefore, it is essential to approach this debate from a factual and balanced perspective, not from emotions.
First, it’s important to understand that housing prices in most countries around the world, including India, haven’t risen solely due to rising household incomes. A variety of factors, including urbanization, limited land, a growing population, the popularity of real estate as an investment, government policies, construction costs, the complexities of land acquisition, and easy credit access, all influence property prices. If women’s employment alone were the driving force behind housing prices, then housing should always be the most expensive in countries with higher female labor force participation. However, the reality is much more complex.
Similarly, the rising cost of education is linked to a variety of factors. The expansion of private education, competition for modern facilities, the attractiveness of the English medium, rising expenditure on technical resources, teacher salaries, transportation, building construction, and the commercialization of education have all played a significant role in increasing fees. To say that school fees have risen solely because women have started working would be an oversimplification of economic realities.
Yet, this idea hides a significant concern. That concern is the changing structure of the family and the quality of life. It is true that in earlier times, joint families shared childcare, elderly care, and household responsibilities. Today, in smaller families, when both husband and wife are working, there is a lack of time. Time spent with children has decreased. Stress, mental pressure, and work-life balance issues have increased. However, the solution to these problems lies not in confining women to the home, but in creating social and economic policies that can balance family and work.
History also doesn’t view this topic as simplistically as it’s often portrayed on social media. Women have contributed to agriculture, animal husbandry, handicrafts, trade, and family businesses for centuries. Even during the Industrial Revolution, a significant number of women worked in factories. Therefore, to say that women in history were always homemakers doesn’t fully reflect reality. The only difference is that in the past, a large portion of their labor was reflected in unpaid domestic tasks, while today that same labor is more clearly visible in the form of paid employment.
It’s also true that the economic value of domestic work is often underestimated. Managing the home, raising children, caring for the elderly, and maintaining family order are vital tasks for any society. Whether a man or woman fulfills these roles, they should be respected. Similarly, if a woman chooses to pursue a job that suits her education, qualifications, and desires, her decision should be equally respected. True empowerment means the right to choice, not the imposition of a single lifestyle on everyone.
From an economic perspective, it’s also worth considering that if millions of women suddenly leave the workforce, it would have a serious impact on a country’s productivity, tax collection, consumption, and economic growth. Women play a vital role in many sectors—education, health, banking, information technology, administration, and scientific research. Their absence from these sectors would impact not only families but also the progress of the entire nation.
The real problem likely lies elsewhere. Over the past few decades, productivity has not risen at the same pace as the average citizen’s real purchasing power. Wealth has become increasingly concentrated in a few hands. Essential services like education and health have been rapidly privatized. Land availability in metropolitan areas has remained limited. Investors have turned housing into an investment tool rather than a living necessity. As a result, housing has become increasingly out of reach for the average family. Similarly, education has ceased to be a service and has become a major industry. Ignoring these structural causes and placing the entire responsibility on women’s employment is not the solution.
Certainly, modern lifestyles have posed new challenges for families. Caring for young children, caring for the elderly, lack of communication in marital relationships, and increasing mental stress are real problems. Solutions to these problems will come from flexible working hours, maternity and paternity leave, quality daycare, family-friendly policies, and a sensitive workplace environment. Blaming women alone will neither reduce inflation nor strengthen families. It’s also important to understand that for many women, employment isn’t a hobby, but a necessity. Rising inflation, children’s education, medical expenses, housing loans, and future financial security have made dual income a necessity for many families. On the other hand, millions of women also want to work to fulfill their talents, self-reliance, and contribute to society. Attributing their decision solely to a market conspiracy limits both their individuality and their rights.
We must recognize that the roles of both men and women are changing in society. If both earn, then household responsibilities should be shared by both. Raising children is not just the mother’s responsibility; the father’s is also equally responsible. Similarly, financial responsibility should not be solely the man’s, but should be shared by both, depending on need and consent. The success of the modern family lies in this partnership. The greatest need today is not blame, but balance. We need a society where families are strong and women’s talents are nurtured. Where domestic work is respected as well as professional achievement. Where children have the time of both parents and the opportunity to fulfill their dreams. Economic policies should ensure that education and housing are accessible to the common citizen. Private institutions should be effectively regulated, quality government schools and hospitals should be strengthened, and transparency and affordability should be ensured in the housing sector.
Ultimately, to say that women’s employment is the root of all today’s economic problems is neither fair nor fact-based. It would be equally wrong to say that there are no problems in the modern system. The reality lies somewhere between these two extremes. Increasing economic pressure on families, lack of time for children, and social change are serious issues, but to address them, we need comprehensive economic reforms, family-friendly policies, and gender-based support, not blaming one half of society for the problems. The strength of any civilization grows when it can strike a balance between rights and responsibilities, freedom and family, development and human values. This balance will form the foundation of a healthy, prosperous, and sensitive society of the future.
—The author is a PhD (Political Science), is a poet and social thinker.)
Inflation, dual income and the changing family
By: Dr. Priyanka Saurabh
