The two-income trap
by Elizabeth Warren, Amelia Warren Tyagi · first published 2003
24% recommend75% neutral1% critical
Why HN recommends it
Data-backed account of why the middle-class squeeze worsened as families moved to two incomes: bidding up housing in good school districts, hidden costs of working, and thin cushions. For family finance readers.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2011–2025The Feminine Mystique
Betty Friedan
Recommended by 5 · mentioned by 145 recommend · 14 mention5 recommend · 145 recommend
2009–2026Progress and poverty
Henry George
Recommended by 42 · mentioned by 7542 recommend · 75 mention42 recommend · 7542 recommend
2009–2026Inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations
Adam Smith, Andrew Skinner
Recommended by 9 · mentioned by 359 recommend · 35 mention9 recommend · 359 recommend
2010–2026Drive
Daniel H. Pink
Recommended by 47 · mentioned by 8347 recommend · 83 mention47 recommend · 8347 recommend
2018–2026Enlightenment now
Steven Pinker, Pablo Hermida Lazcano
Recommended by 51 · mentioned by 9751 recommend · 97 mention51 recommend · 9751 recommend
2013–2026Bullshit Jobs
David Graeber
Recommended by 159 · mentioned by 477159 recommend · 477 mention159 recommend · 477159 recommend
2007–2026The Wealth of Nations
Adam Smith
Recommended by 92 · mentioned by 40592 recommend · 405 mention92 recommend · 40592 recommend
2007–2026Brave New World
Aldous Huxley
Recommended by 202 · mentioned by 708202 recommend · 708 mention202 recommend · 708202 recommend
…two bath detached home it’s likely in a school district that is underperforming and while the home may be slightly larger than those in the past it’s 30+ years old. This is detailed elegantly in the Two Income Trap by Elizabeth Warren. The thing that is crazy is that there is any debate in the subject. Real productivity growth has averaged 2% for the last 100 years in the US. Early in the last century they they…
on “Why Prosperity Has Increased but Happiness Has Not” ↗See this Liz Warren book: https://www.amazon.com/Two-Income-Trap-Middle-Class-Parents-... Henry Ford realized that the automobile was not going to change the world unless auto workers were so productive that they could easily afford the cars they made. That kind…
on “Why Child Care Is So Expensive” ↗This is something that Elizabeth Warren and her daughter Amelia covered in their book "The Two Income Trap." I'm aware that recommending a book by a political figure is fraught, but I'm not aware of any economists who took umbrage with the claim, either. They make the observation in chapter 1 that "Even as…
on “Home Price to Income Ratio” ↗…income or you will need to sacrifice a lot. Elizabeth Warren has written an excellent book describing the pitfalls of two-income families that send their children to public schools. It's called "The Two Income Trap". http://www.amazon.com/Two-Income-Trap-Middle-Class-Parents-G... In it, she demonstrates that having two incomes isn't the advantage that you might intuitively think it is. Actually, having a single…
on “Outschooling in the Bay Area” ↗I don't understand why this is getting downvoted. IIRC it's the entire data-backed thesis of Elizabeth Warren's 2003 book the Two-Income Trap. CityLab recently documented the rise and fall of the SRO: https://www.citylab.com/equity/2018/02/the-rise-and-fall-of-...
on “America’s urban rebirth is missing actual births” ↗…other is the best, but most people don't do that, and it's harder to do if you are both working since it costs so much money to work. Not working is cheaper. Take a look at Elizabeth Warren’s book, The Two-Income Trap. It explains this paradox much better than I could.
on “Deschooling Society (1970)” ↗Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote a book in 2004 on the two income trap. Excellent read. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Two-Income_Trap https://openlibrary.org/books/OL22568858M/The_two-income_tra...
on “WTF Happened in 1971?” ↗…many apartments and condos going for that price, which would be perfectly adequate for one or two children. If you're willing to drive out to the burbs, there's plenty of options. Elizabeth Warren's the two income trap goes into the reasons of why two working spouses is significantly more expensive than one working spouse. I have never understood why this isn't obvious to everyone. Also, communities started falling…
on “Falling birth rate not due to less desire to have children” ↗…demands that one parent makes a sacrifice. As we all know how financially strapped middle-income families are (esp. after the rise of the two income family, see Elizabeth Warren's excellent book "The Two Income Trap"), this means one has to go back to work soon. For biological reasons,* this fundamentally favors the man (who will then be favored when it comes time to assess promotions). * When I worked at Microsoft,…
on “STFU About What Women Want” ↗…than the 260k infographic. I wonder if the wall is being worn down now that RM owns it. EDIT: People who are interested in the middle class squeeze should really check out Elizabeth Warren's book The Two-Income Trap.
on “The Myth of a Stagnant Middle Class” ↗Elizabeth Warren has an interesting take on the issue in the book "The Two-Income Trap" https://www.amazon.com/Two-Income-Trap-Middle-Class-Parents-...
on “Tiny Indian state proposes world’s biggest experiment with guaranteed income” ↗And Elizabeth Warren wrote it in her book, The Two Income Trap. Such a a great read! This was before I knew she was running for president, many years ago.
on “It takes now 53 weeks salary to earn same as 30 weeks in 1985” ↗…the higher earner, it's not insane to suggest that falling (who am I kidding, fallen) family formation rates are due to those couples now having trouble forming in the first place. Elizabeth Warren's Two-Income Trap is required reading here.
on “Zero-sum thinking on immigration will make America poorer” ↗The Two-Income Trap is a great book on this topic: https://www.amazon.com/Two-Income-Trap-Middle-Class-Parents-.... Try to ignore the cover, as its content is excellent and the book isn't a partisan jeremiad.
on “We Aren't Raising Adults. We Are Breeding Excellent Sheep” ↗…we think are necessary (and even "an investment") such as health care, a house in an expensive neighborhood with a good school district, etc. Remember this Liz Warren classic https://www.amazon.com/Two-Income-Trap-Middle-Class-Parents-...
on “Third of Japan's 18-year-olds women may never have children: study” ↗