And yet, people consume more healthcare, education, and live in bigger homes than ever before (as measured by consumption statistics). So that clearly can't be the issue.
As men's employment opportunities drop relative to women's, their value in the sexual and marriage markets drop significantly. And women's employment opportunities have done nothing but rise. Female hypergamy is probably the real issue here.
I think this paper hits on a bigger issue: http://www.ddorn.net/papers/Autor-Dorn-Hanson-MarriageMarket...
As men's employment opportunities drop relative to women's, their value in the sexual and marriage markets drop significantly. And women's employment opportunities have done nothing but rise. Female hypergamy is probably the real issue here.