Our economic system was structured around a worker (usually male) supporting several others financially and an unpaid partner (usually female) giving other means of support to those in their familial group. As wages stagnated to direct more gain from advancing productivity to the top the ability of the financial provider crumbled and the partner had to share those responsibilities also.

When income inequality increases during time of productivity gains it is up to government to use its fiscal policy and power of the purse to restore balance. This is why the wealthy and their corporations spend so much lobbying Congress and influencing media to prevent our society from adapting to such shifting dynamics and maintain the status quo they benefit from in increased worker insecurity.

The increase of worker productivity shouldn't be used against the workers. There was plenty of room in that to enable the important job of caregiving without creating another corporate market for it. Care, at both ends of the age scale, is woefully lacking here compared to other modern rich countries, and we are in the richest of those. Childcare can easily consume half, or more, of one person's wage and elder care often consumes all generational wealth accumulated by working class families.

We can do so much better. We could even make caregiving a paid job with federal funding. This would free up overburdened existing care facilities and offer families a better chance at successful management of time while returning the foundation of care to the home, where it belongs. At the same time, giving workers a choice of staying in the home would pressure employers to step up their game for wages and benefits to level the playing field.