One could probably achieve the same absolute level of material wealth that characterized a high standard of living in the 1960s/70s working only a part-time job. The fact that so many people can afford to forgo years of labor to pursue a liberal arts degree (albeit often subsidized by debt) is a partial actualization of the leisure society. However, the reason that men work is not primarily to improve their material wellbeing, but to attract a mate. I think economists often overlook the sociological aspect.
In nearly every developed country, women seem to love to earn money more than they love to raise children. Is this fundamentally true? Or, is there a different reason for women’s decision to work throughout their most fertile years? The fact that insular fertile subcultures, such as the Amish and Mormons, still exist, suggests there might be a cultural solution.