To find this entitled?

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaahh]

This doesn't apply to people with childcare or caring responsibilities, any sort of illness or disability which means they cannot work full time.
But I've seen a few people on here or social media basically saying 'I can do supply/care work/0 hours work and sometimes only get a shift or two a week, because my husband earns well.'

So they're pretty much choosing to swan about and avoid full-time work, because they assume their husband or partner will carry on in their high-earning, full time role.

What happens if this husband loses their job, becomes sick, or just decides they're sick of having to be the breadwinner?

I see it all the time on supply teacher pages,'Oh I've only had 1 day of work in 2 months but it's fine because my husband is the breadwinner!!'

There are other jobs where you could make a living, you just don't want to do them, yet you still want your dream forever house and luxury lifestyle. If it were the wife full-time and the husband taking the piss there would be uproar.

if the family/ household is contributing, it's of no-one's business how they manage their contribution and their work. Taxes are paid, that's all you need to know.

Contributing to society isn’t just about paid employment.

How do you know they're lounging around? There's loads of work to do at home, including all the cleaning, cooking, repairs, improvements, gardening and growing food, mending clothes, buying food and home supplies, animal-care if needed and child-care if needed. Do you not have much going on other than your job?

Most people are a net drain on the economy. If you have children, you're even more of a net drain because they're likely to be a net drain.

A couple living on one high salary with no children is probably one of the highest contributors to the economy that there is! You're welcome!

@malware contributing to society and contributing to the economy are two different things.

@Pearofplums I am not sure I completely agree. We all fill out separate tax returns to our husbands these days. So why aren't we all responsible for our own individual contribution to society and the economy. I don't think because your husband contributes more than most that's you covered too.

@Needmorelego Agreed. If you are working you doing both at the same time though. But I agree there are other ways too (eg raising children, looking after elderly, volunteering) .

No it isn’t. I’m my DD1’s carer, paid carer’s allowance, whilst my DH works. That’s been the case for going on 10!years. She’s unlikely to be able to get paid work, as things stand.

And according to some posters, I’m not contributing to society?

No one said that. The OP put people with caring responsibilities out of this picture. As did I

The thing is you can have someone who doesn't work in a paid job but also isn't a carer (for children/relative) but spends all their time doing volunteer work and helping people.
There is some volunteering that only gets done by people who have the time and energy to devote to it full time.
There is a lot in society that simply wouldn't happen if there were no volunteers doing it.
If one half of a couple earns enough money so the other half doesn't need to work and that person decides to do voluntary work instead then that is a very important contribution to society.

whar about indirect contribution? Quite a few of us on here have said that their partner could not do their own job if they had worked full time. The "effort that they are relying on" is an agreement between themselves and their partner.

So am I sponging too? I work p/t 22.5 hrs pw, husband is a high earner. Yes I love the down time when my son is at school and eldest son works and I get lots of free time to walk our dogs and have a weekly lunch with friends, however I do 100% life admin and most the housework.

I find this "contribution" lark a bit unbalanced. Do two people without children who both work full time but at low paid jobs so pay less tax contribute "more" or "better" than two people without children, one of whom works part time or not at all but whose partner is a higher rate tax payer who contributes more to the ecomomy both by the tax they pay and by the amount of disposable income they spend?
I know there are arguments about financial security and so on but just to set those aside to the moment and focus on the "you should work to contribute" argument?

So based on your simplistic way of looking at it - because I can work part time but don’t need to financially, I should take the job from a person who needs it in order to feed/house their family? Meaning they rely on government hand outs, my husband can’t perform at the high level he does as he has to take on my family responsibilities & therefor his tax contributions & money generated for economy through his work goes down. And this is better why??

Indeed. Two people earning £26k per year each pay about £7k total in tax and NI but their contribution is somehow better than the £58k paid by someone with a salary of £150k whose spouse does not work outside the home..?

yup....and lets take it further.....single childless minimum wage person wins the lottery. Chucks up the job they hate, buys a house, makes wise investments, does up house and puts their feet up. They are paying stamp duty on the house, employing people to fix it up and VAT on all the noo house stuff....also their investments are taxed....yet by that argument they can no longer use the roads? I mean huh?

Those of you on here who say that you volunteer, give your children a better start...all the good stuff. I am sure you do and well done BUT you should absolutely not be feeling that you have to justify yourselves to idiots.

Well said.,

Wow, this thread has gone fully batshit crazy!

I have no skin in the game, I've always worked - but it its beyond ridiculous to say that people who don't work don't contribute. Everyone pays tax in some form.

I mean, you might as well trot out the argument that I'm not a real taxpayer because I work for the NHS...

If you live off your husband's income and you don't care etc what is the contribution? I just don't see it.

A lottery winner will pay income tax on their investments, They have their own personal wealth which generates income. Unlike someone who lives off their husband's income.

And no one is saying they can't use the roads. It's a matter between each individual and their conscience.

@malware To quote @ShanghaiDiva's post, if one person is paying £58k tax on a salary of £150k, their household's contribution is larger than two people earning £26k per year paying about £14K total in tax.

Why does it matter whether that £58k contribution is coming from one person or two people in a household?

Some husbands would prefer their wives to be at home more and if the wife is happy with that then that’s fine.

You really can't think of any volunteer work that someone might do instead of a paid job.
Surely your imagination can think of something.

And vice versa. I'm happy to have my husband at home more, doing the laundry and cooking. Itakes my life easier

allow me to help you see it
i am a parish councillor, chair of the trustees of a charity, volunteer in a charity shop, deliver the local parish magazine. In the past I have been chair of the PTA, trustee of a different charity, volunteer reader at primary school (for 10 years), volunteer librarian at secondary school (10 years), joint organiser of fundraising events for another charity.