The male breadwinner is gone. Why working from home is necessary for modern families

"The 42-year-old is one of many Australian parents who say working from home and other flexible arrangements have become essential to the smooth functioning of their households and satisfaction with their family life. "I think in 2025 [work from home is] crucial," she says. I enjoy being able to be there for all those milestones [for my daughter], I don't want someone else to be having more time with my child than I am."

"We are no longer in a situation where we've got that male breadwinner - single income earner - in a family where a woman stays home and does everything by way of unpaid work. According to the property listing company Domain, property prices have jumped by 777 per cent over the past three decades in some capital cities, such as Sydney, where the median price of a house is now $1.7 million - compared with a median of $192,819 in March 1993."

"Wages in NSW grew by 131.1 per cent between September 1997 and March 2025. Women are more likely to work now He explains: "77 per cent of women in their early 30s are in the labour force - it was less than a third a generation ago." Based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics' Time Use Survey, conducted between November 2020 and July 2021, McCrindle notes that a third of Australians also report feeling rushed or pressed for time often or always."

Working from home and flexible arrangements have become essential to household functioning and family satisfaction for many Australian parents. High housing costs and limited wage growth have increased financial pressure on families, making dual incomes necessary. Property prices in some capital cities rose dramatically over three decades, with Sydney's median house price reaching $1.7 million. Wages in NSW increased by 131.1 percent between September 1997 and March 2025, lagging behind housing inflation. Female labour-force participation has risen substantially, with 77 percent of women in their early 30s now working. Many Australians report frequent time pressure, especially women aged 35 to 44.

Read at SBS News