Married with Children was a fiction. So were 1950s sitcoms. For
  a short period of time from the 50s-late 60s, single income
  families were possible. But before the 50s was WWII: Before the
  40s was the Great Depression. Before the 30s was prosperity but
  it was also the era of women voting and women working. Before
  the 20s was WW1. Before the 10s was... well, I dunno, maybe it
  was like the 50s sitcoms, but I dunno. So, I dunno.