Single Income Households, the Feminist Movement, and Generational Breakdowns
A bit of a rant, but I'm not sorry
This started as a Facebook post that was supposed to be maybe two short paragraphs. As I wrote, I began to think “out loud” on the keyboard, and it turned into something different. I’ll let you be the judge of what that something is.
Why is it so hard for the modern household to live on a single income? There are many reasons, but this is a major one.
The feminist movement
Women received the right to work, which is a good thing. But social behavior teaches the market what to expect. Over time, more and more women flooded the workplace meaning twice as many workers. This social behavior gradually taught the market that two incomes per household is not the option, but the expectation. Naturally, the market adjusted. As a consequence, families that wish to live on the man's income with the wife staying home are swimming upstream. We've overburdened men by making their job as provider much harder. We've overburdened women by making the ability to fulfill their calling to their homes and families much harder. In other words, we shot ourselves in the foot.
Now, with overburdened men and women, families resort to handing their children over to the state and the state is more than willing to accommodate (VPK, Public School, Extra-Curriculars, After School Programs, etc.). So, mom and dad are out pursuing their careers while the state raises their children. In addition, since offloading the education of their children has become so natural, offloading their children's spiritual formation has become second nature as well.
The children need educated? The state has programs for that. The children need spiritual formation? The church down the road has a program for that. While Scripture places the responsibility of the children's education and spiritual formation in the hands of the parents, we have largely handed over that responsibility to the hands of others.
Additional Thoughts (ramblings?) on the Consequences through the Generations
The Greatest Generation was born from 1901-1924 (mostly churched, very religious, high morality). Compulsory public school attendance reached nationwide status around 1920.
The Silent Generation was born from 1928-1945 (The first generation of children to live under compulsory public education.) Not much changed with this generation, but the generation they would raise would speak to the effects of the offloading of parental responsibility and moving away from the Biblical pattern. Think about it. This was the first generation to go through the public school system from start to finish en masse. The fruits of their parenting will speak to the results of their upbringing (I'm speaking in generalities, of course.).
They raised the Baby Boomers, born from 1946-1965 (moderately churched, moderately religious, moderate morality). This is the generation that would bring us the sexual revolution (60s), the feminist movement (60s), and Roe v Wade (70s). To make it clear, the generation raised by the first generation to go through compulsory public education from start to finish gave us those things.
This was also the generation that began the employment of specialized youth and children's ministries in their churches. This was a reactionary method as churches sought a solution to the rising tide of lost children. These programs quickly became attractional in their methodology. Wild and wacky antics. Fun trips and parties. Concerts, live bands, and entertainment. Bribing young people to come and bring friends (i.e. the youth leader will swallow a goldfish if we have x amount of students). These things proved their ability to draw the crowd.
Of course, there's always a trade-off. As entertainment and antics in the church's programs grew, solid teaching and doctrine found the exit. Gatherings that were biblically set apart for the saints became flooded by the world. You keep them with what you win them with. And these things only amplified with the MTV and media-driven boom in the 80s. As the culture's entertainment advanced, the churches tried to keep up.
Generations grow up. The children raised by the boomers became adults expecting to be entertained, attracted, and accommodated. Generation X was born from 1965-1983 (somewhat churched, somewhat religious, declining morality). This generation would be marked by rebellion. Though former generations had traces of rebellion, this one experienced a mass rebellion against their parents, church, authority, and religion.
As the rebellion of this generation intensified, the desperation of the churches became evident. The idea of making everything "relevant" became popular in order to appeal to young people. Whereas in the past the adults in the church tried to exemplify proper behavior and tradition to the children, now the adults began acting like children in order to win the children. Thus began the childishness of our churches.
Generation X would become the adults that needed lights, sounds, and various flashy things in order to come to church. Why wouldn't they? That's what the former generation, the Boomers, taught them to need.
Gen X raised the Millennials, born from 1983-1996. This is the apostate generation. Their parents rebelled against institutionalized religion and demanded entertainment driven churches. They themselves left the church altogether. They are the generation missing from so many churches and they are the parents of the current teenage generation, Generation Z, born from 1997-2012 (unchurched, atheistic, morally shipwrecked).
Gen Z is going a step further than the Millenials. They are not only unchurched, but they have no identity.
Running parallel to all of these generations has been an increased dependence on the state for education and an increased dependence on church programs for spiritual formation. Both things are the biblical responsibility of parents. Both things have increasingly been offloaded instead to institutions.
So, here we are, 100 years after the beginning of compulsory public school attendance and after generations of the church's reactionary, attractional, seeker sensitive measures...raising a generation that doesn't even have an identity.
What Now?
At some point, we need to wake up and admit that the 20th century was a failed experiment in America. That's the confession part of repentance. Next, we return to the biblical paradigm. Parents, your children's education is your responsibility. You can use the means available (various kinds of schools, tutoring, homeschool, etc.), but you must not offload them. You are the educator of your children.
Parents, your children's spiritual formation is your responsibility. You can send them to the children's or youth ministry, but only as a supplement. You are the one charged to train them up in God's Word, instruct them, and call their minds to the Lord. This is the Bible's way. Simply offloading them to the church program as their primary means of spiritual formation is a fast way to watch them walk away from the church as soon as they can.
Back to the Two-Income Household
What does all of that have to do with two-income households? It's going to be near impossible to return to the home as the primary place of education and spiritual formation when both mom and dad are chasing careers. It doesn’t mean wives should not be allowed to work, but that wives should not be expected to work. The state will teach your children to hate God. The Church has not been equipped by God to take the place of the parents. Until we say “enough”, the generations will keep spiraling out of control.
God's Word is always the best way. Do what you have to do to stop offloading your children and take responsibility for their walk with Christ. It's the only way to stop this generational madness.
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