By Ben Harris

Last week, we launched the Biden Forum to start a conversation about the issues impacting the American middle class and ideas for how to address them. This week, we are further exploring the challenges facing American families.

Life is expensive. Whether it’s rent or a mortgage, school tuition or childcare, sometimes it can feel like expenses just keep piling up, while wages stay the same. Sound familiar? You’re not alone.

Over the past few decades, it’s gotten consistently harder for families to get by. And it doesn’t just feel that way — there’s data to back it up.

Income inequality and the rising costs of housing, education and healthcare have made it difficult to live the middle-class lifestyles of our parents’ generations. To some, it feels like that reality no longer exists.

The Toil Index, created by economist Robert Frank, explains why. By measuring the number of hours a person must work to cover the costs of renting a home in an average school district, you can see how the American Dream has gradually moved out of reach.

As shown in the chart above, in the 1950s and ’60s, things were steady. An average of just 40 hours of work was enough to make rent in a good school district each month. But by 2005, that number had more than doubled — with Americans having to work an average of approximately 100 hours a month (more than two full weeks!) just to afford a place to live where they could send their kids to a decent school.

What happened? Well, in the ’50s and ’60s, any increases in housing prices tended to coincide with rising salaries. That started to change around 1970 when wage growth slowed, but housing quickly became more expensive. By 1980, it took about 55 hours of work to rent a house in a good school district, and by 2000, more than 70 hours. This pattern has continued for over 40 years with little relief to American families. Today, it still shows no signs of slowing down.

Every parent wants to send their kids to a good school. But when people have to put in over 100 hours a month just to live in a decent school district, families suffer: Parents face the difficult decision of either putting in more hours at work or seeing their kids get a subpar education. It’s an unfair choice.

For the well-being of America’s working families, we must do something to change these trends.

Here are a few thoughts on where we could start the conversation: Education and training are the keys to boosting wages, and we can help prepare the next generation for middle class jobs by offering free community college to every American in the country. We can also help ensure that workers get the paycheck they deserve by taking aim at unfair workplace practices, like overuse of non-compete agreements or employers who collude against workers. And rather than cutting tax rates on corporations by nearly half, we could use this tax break as a chance to cut taxes paid by everyday workers.

These are just a few ideas that will expand opportunities for families and our future. But, we want to take the conversation beyond what was has worked in the past. Those dialogues start here with us. Join the conversation and add your innovative ideas!