Busy Families in ‘Merica By: Catherine Wilbourne

Reflection Paper 1 Without any preliminary research aside from the assignments we have completed in class, I can hypothesize that family life today is busier than it was 50 years ago and the chaos that is day-to-day life for parents, and children is only getting crazier. With the economy, technology, changes in family structure all changing so much, so fast, life at home isn’t quite what it use to be. There are a lot of things that contribute to changes in family life. I know that as a student, by myself there are things that are changing that make single life hectic. The rising cost of tuition means I have to work a full-time while I am going to school, so that I can support myself and pay all of my bills. As far as families go, I know that there are more women in the workforce than ever. Which means moms are working then coming home and having to worry about house stuff and taking care of kids. Also, more men are helping with childcare, so men are also working and trying to help with kids and stuff at home. Children now days are required to go to school versus when they use to stay home and help with chores or the family business. So children have school fulltime, have homework when they get home as well as chores. Also, there is an increasing interest in extra curricular activities for school kids. So many children are playing sports, or part of some club, then coming home to homework and house chores. All of these things contribute to the chaos that family life can feel like anymore. It almost seems as though family time has become this thing we do/have while simultaneously trying to finish a different task or checking something else off the to-do list. For example not seeing your family as often so inviting them to a son’s basketball game so you can see them for a couple hours but you can also be at the game. Like killing two birds with one stone.

With more and more women in the workforce and women trying to balance work and family, How do women feel being a mother and having a career affects their jobs? (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010)

Stats. Nearly 70% of working women worry that having a baby will have an effect on their careers. Half of these women believe that their career would be in such jeopardy that they would prefer to remain childless. Many women who have had children consider retraining or changing careers in order to give them more flexibility as parents. In one study 40% of women took a few months or less for maternity leave and when asked why the number one reason stated was fear of losing their jobs. Having children may lower mother’s wages, children reduce women’s labor force participation, and affects their occupational status. The effects that children may have on their mother’s careers lessen with age.

Women in the workforce are not seeing their roles as being primary caregiver and/or their responsibility for things at home lessen. This is what is considered the “second shift.” For working mothers the work is never done and the stress never stops.

Maternity Leave Another issue involving mother’s trying to balance work and family is the different maternity leave policies around the world. The U.S. is the only country that doesn’t offer paid maternity leave to mothers. Mothers in this country are not encouraged to have children and a career, so it may be difficult to balance both. (Peterson, 2012)

Being a Mother and having a Career can be Stressful This graph shows us that balancing the two is stressful, and can have a negative impact on mother’s careers or their education. (”IAN Research report #9: Family Stress - Part 2 Work life and finances", 2009)

References Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Women in the labor force, 2010 on the Internet at (visited December 01, 2014 ). Half of women would consider not having children because of risk to their career. (2014, January 1). AAT. LighIAN RESEARCH REPORT #9: FAMILY STRESS - PART 2 WORK LIFE AND FINANCES. (2009, May 1). Retrieved December 1, 2014, from _2009 t, K. (1997, July 1). Stress in Employed Women: A Woman's Work Is Never Done if She's a Working Mom. Journal of Behavioral Medicine. Retrieved December 1, Mitchelson, J., & Burns, L. (n.d.). Career mothers and perfectionism: Stress at work and at home. Personality and Individual Differences, 25 (3), Retrieved December 1, 2014, from Ebscohost. Peterson, A. (2012, May 24). How the Zero Weeks of Maternity Leave in the U.S. Compares Globally. Retrieved December 1, 2014, from

Reflection Paper 2 The stress for working mothers can seem like it is coming from all directions. A lot of jobs feel like a woman could be a liability if they want to start a family, they may not be fully committed to work, they may need extra time off, a lot of companies only grant a mere couple of weeks for maternity leave. Many women are afraid that wanting to start a family could cost them their jobs. Another aspect of being a working mother that is extremely stressful is once they get off work and go home the work doesn’t stop. They are still expected to clean and cook and help the children with their homework and get everything ready for the next day. More and more women getting degrees and out in the workforce is a huge step in the right direction in women's rights and equality, however there has to be more that can be done to help them out. For one, maternity leave. Companies could also be flexible with hours and time off. Men/dads are doing more around the house, but still do not do as much as their counterparts when it comes to the children and household chores. For the benefit of mothers and children.