The world is a more complicated place now. The standard of living has gone up. When somebody with a high school degree supported a family of 5 they were eating beans and rice for $8 for the full month. No cell phones, no internet, no cable, no subscriptions, no fast food, no shopping, homemade clothes, etc etc etc. life got more complicated, more conveniences became standards, and now it's more expensive. There are very real wage problems here, but it's never as simple as portrayed