There's no doubt that women working ( therefore increased household income ) has had an effect . I read somewhere that workforce participation for women is 65% and increasing ( ABS figures ). This is up 20% from the eighties according to the reserve bank.
Another big factor imo is increased credit availability .
When you think about it , lifestyles have changed vastly in the last 25 years . Even in the last 10 , the rate of change outstrips the last 50 .
I guess the ' wealthier ' we get means that we spend more money . Just got to decide where we want to spend it .
