[epicureanideal]

> flies in the face of almost every useful metric of socioeconomic success.

Earnings isn't necessarily the best measure of socioeconomic success.

https://girlpowermarketing.com/statistics-purchasing-power-w...

Women control or influence 85% of spending, for example.

I would say the amount of goods and services you actually purchase and consume would be a better indicator of socioeconomic success, compared with earnings that may be enjoyed by someone else.

Working really hard to the point of destroying your health in order to provide a good life to your family would show up as "highly successful" by the earnings metric, but I would say the family benefits more than the one who is destroyed.

[developer93]

Assuming a traditional household here with a working dad and stay at home mum, if the woman is mostly responsible for childcare, that's also a huge load. Just because the mother here isn't bringing in money doesn't mean she isn't working. Personally I'd take the employment (and have).

[ericmay]

Quality of work too. Like one person may be going to a soul-crushing office job while another is doing something undoubtedly meaningful and enjoyable, if not also stressful.

[developer93]

And full time work as against an 8 hour day or whatever. I don't think we should be blaming our partners for our own unhappiness.

[rdtwo]

But the wife of a c suite executive is actually the biggest winner. She gets all the benifits and the au-pair to do the child care not none of the 80 hour weeks and late night phone calls.

[developer93]

That's kind of an edge case though isn't it?

[FooBarBizBazz]

This explains a lot about advertising and media.