Modern life doesn’t work

France and Germany have worse wealth inequality than the UK

Again nuance, poorer families in France & Germany tend to be better off than poorer families in the UK

In 1950

The end of this is interesting.

How do you feel about the "opt out" people?

Also your comment about people putting petrol, utility bills, work clothes on their credit card. My worldview would be the opposite, I don't know anyone who puts major bills on their credit cards, they put Next and Zara hauls, and if they're putting petrol on it, it's to collect points for flights. I'm not denying that lots of people are living in credit, and I know someone who puts takeaways on Pay-In-6 for example, but it's just different ways of living.

I wouldn't say that I think modern life doesn't work, but mine isn't working right now, either. DS is my eldest and is due to start school this year and I have an unshakeable feeling that I'm signing him up for a broken system, that crushes personality and teaches skills pretty poorly. Teachers are doing their best, but they are cogs in a broken system, with few resources. DD is much younger and currently at a baby class with her Dad while I work, because I have better earning potential than he does... and he lost his job when I was heavily pregnant, so I've been back at work since she was 10 weeks old. I can work pretty flexibly but I feel like I've missed out on so much, and she's SUCH a Daddy's girl, and I wonder if that's because he gets to do SO much with her...

There's a bit of me that wants to bundle them all up and go somewhere else for a bit, for less of a rat race. I'm very aware that it's still working in a new location, but we spent three months last year in Spain for example, where lots of neighbourhood kids were out playing at 7/8pm, so it felt like you got time after work with your kids, rather than getting home to put them to bed and jump back online...

I never said Germany & France were not facing issues, they are. I said they didn’t share all the issues we have.

It isn't investment alone that drives productivity, particularly in the UK. High levels of economic inactivity is hugely relevant too

Its not highly relevant but we won’t agree on that.

But say 70 years ago (1950s), people often lived with parents when they first got married, lived in a couple of rooms if they didn’t, only had a couple of weeks’ holiday per year, didn’t go abroad regularly if at all, certainly most didn’t have a car, rarely went out to restaurants ( other than tea shops/Lyons corner house/fish and chips), had hand me down furniture when first married.
Men ( especially those who worked manually) often died in their early 70s after only a few years’ retirement
I think we demand far more out of our salaries and in fact could live MUCH more simply

@Smoosha I actually love my job & prefer p/t to not working. My point was a high % of mothers do work p/t, it’s not a tiny minority.

It isn't investment alone that drives productivity, particularly in the UK. High levels of economic inactivity is hugely relevant too.

Germany and France share many of the same challenges as us. They have a housing crisis (less severe than ours but still bad), worse economic growth and declining living standards. France and Germany have worse wealth inequality than the UK. I have never tried to compare Britain to Kenya other than to point out that some of the things we take for granted aren't necessarily true for everyone all of the time.

I know it's easy to say, but try to remember that providing for your child is an essential part of parenting.

The internet has brought us many good things, but there is also a downside. Adults and children, constantly attached to a little screen, even in places like restaurants where people should be socialising. Toddlers being plugged in to a device, instead of learning how to interact with other humans.

Things that should be simple, being over complicated, because "computer says no", and to save money, there is no human you can speak to anymore.

Totally agree. Late stage capitalism, or neoliberalism, is rapidly ruining lives for millions of people. Fewer and fewer peope/organisations are controlling the assets and capital in this country and bleeding us dry - look at housing for a start. Just 6 companies control the building of new homes in this country and are running a cartel to restrict supply and push up prices, continually. Look at our food - over half of what we eat in this country is ultra-processed and bad for us - again it's all about multi-nationals' profits. Our utilities are owned by huge, foreign conglomerates who just want to squeeze money out of us. It is all so bleak and depressing.

It's survival of the fittest. Always. You feel sorry for yourself because life is hard - yes it is. But put that to one side if you can, because to survive in this world as a single mother providing all the funding for the kids, organising the house, the childcare, the homework, literally everything with no help from anyone, you have to be phenomenally well organised, tough and single-minded. I have been that single mother and you have to focus on making yourself the fittest so you (and your children) will survive (and obviously, thrive). Past luck/decisions have brought you to where you are and you have to work doubly hard to compensate for the situation you are now in. Very tough - I do sympathise - but life has always been that way and always will be.

But a lot of women only do that out of necessity. Plenty would rather be total SAHM/housewife if they could. (Me as well quite honestly. I don’t enjoy working at all.)
The point of this thread was everyone wanting a more relaxed way of life. So surely that’s EVERYONE who is happy to work only working part time. Or, as it is now, some people being forced to work full time and only the select few working part time?

Very good way of putting it.

@LeticiaMorales thank you, i’m interested

If you are referring to the U.K. it has become impossible. We are high earners and our saving capacity is gone. The system is created for people like us to prop the rest that are now barely surviving. Still we get the blame and the resentment. This is a time bomb.

Sorry, I can't at the moment because I'm off in a moment. It was from a PowerPoint presentation we got at work explaining changes in the workplace and more people in work at 65+.
When I get back I can look it up.

Agree. Ive been saying this forever, but what are ppl going to do about it. Nothing.

You're in the rat race. That's your choice

@LeticiaMorales could you link to something that says healthy life expectancy has increased?

@Smoosha but you ignoring that many people particularly women work p/t now. And that’s in teaching, medical etc

I think it depends what data you use and what age bands you consider.

@LeticiaMorales people aren’t healthier in older age now.

Good points, @Smoosha .
There was a thread on here where someone was complaining about their child not having one teacher at primary school, but two part time ones on a job share, and how it shouldn't be allowed.
That really answers the question, doesn't it?

The reality is we live too long for that system. I dont know the way around it because although we live longer, many of those years may not be healthy years, so theoretically I might live to my mid 80s but be unable to work from around 60

Yes, healthy life expectancy hasn’t changed in a long time. When the state pension age increase so does the working population age and one reason we have more of the working age population not working is because some of those 60 somethings can’t work.

I'm sorry to hear that, sometimes it's tough. When my children were pre school, my husband became seriously ill. I had to work a demanding job and also be a carer and sole parent. It was a very tough time, but we got through it, as will you. This won't last long, but sometimes it's hard to get a good balance.