The days of a single bread winner raising a family from his job that a trained monkey could do are almost over. My old man was a meat cutter and we were a middle class nuclear family. Used to be that you could graduate form high school and work your way up to a decent job in a couple years - even if you weren't bright or talented or skilled. Joe Sixpack could have a wife, two kids and new cars just by sweeping floors at the college, or putting tires on cars, or paving streets or most any other job. But that's not possible today. There are too many people trying to get these sorts of jobs and there are not enough people with brains and talent. A big part of that problem is from how we've lowered educational standards and frowned upon intelligence.
When I was in school, all schools had a big ol' board in the gym that showed various athletic records. Everybody knew the starters on the football team. All the jocks earned their letters and wore cool jackets. Athletic ability was glorified and public. But Iowa Basics scores? Secret. IQ tests? Not sharing those. Grades? Not for public use. Could you imagine if they posted record setting IQ scores or exam grades or anything like that? Intellectual achievement was hidden, secret, something to be ashamed of. Guess what happens when you do that? You end up with a whole lot of people who are capable of the easy, menial jobs but not the intellectually challenging ones.
I'm amazed at how ignorant the employed are. If you have a job you have no idea what it is like to find work because you are experiencing the heartache.