1. Chapter 12: Family Life and Work a Balancing Act

2. Working Families: The Transformation of the American Home
Women entering the workforce transformed issues dealing gender equality, the glass ceiling, and the gender wage gap
Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act signed into law by President Obama

3. Figure 12.1: The Gender Earning Ration, 1955-2008, Full Time Workers

4. Dual Family Earners More than ½ of married couples in the U.S.
are dual earners
Differences are reflected in education
attainment
Differences are reflected in racial/ethnicity

5. Figure 12.2: Median Weekly Earning of Full-Time Wage and Salary Workers, by Sex, 2007

6. Figure 12.3: Arab Americans in the Workforce

7. Others Factors in Workforce Transformation
Service Men and Women
Deployment Planning
Financial Difficulties
Single Parents in the Workforce
Child poverty
13 million single female parents

8. Figure 12.5: Single Mothers’ Educational Attainment

9. Figure 12.6: Family budgets for Four-Person Families in Selected Areas

10. Figure 12.4: Percentage of Children in Poverty, by Family Structures and Race

11. Trying to Make Ends Meet
Family Budgets
Shift Work
Overtime
Unemployment
Stay- at-home dads

12. Figure 12.8: The Triangular Theory of Balancing Work and Family

13. Juggling Family Life and work
Time–based Conflict
Strain–based Conflict
Behavior–based Conflict
Work–Family Spillover
Childcare

14. Figure 12.9: Children and Families in Poverty, by Race

15. Marriage and Money Money as an Emotional Issue
Causes Stress and Strain
Communication is vital

16. The Economic Context
Economic stability is a measure of family well-being
Working families in in the U.S.
Employees work 1,978 hours per year
65 million women in the workforce
3/4 have children under 18
1/4 spend a least some nights or weekends at work
3/4 of employees have no control over their work schedules

17. 1/2 of all women work different schedules than those with whom they live
1/2 of working families have child care expenses
Over 54 million adults provide some degree of care for aging, disabled or ill family members

18. Dual Earner Couples
The proportion of married women in the workforce tripled in the last 50 years
Decisions to work based on need for additional income
Family is still highest priority
5% of dual-career families are on professional or managerial positions

19. Women participate in the workforce:
to gain power and status in relationships
to improve the economic situation of their family

20. Division of Household Labor
Marital satisfaction depends on equality in the division of labor in the home
Unequal division of labor referred to as the second shift
Marital satisfaction requires an egalitarian division of household chores

21. Child Care
Over 71% of American children live in a home with a working mother
Child Care Options
1. working different shifts
2. extended family members provide childcare
3. daycare centers or preschool

22. The Impact of Work on Relationships
Evenings are time for interaction with children and household chores
Outside activities require coordinating schedules

23. Conflicting Demands Role conflict
Contradictory demands between roles individuals must perform
Role overload
When spouses take on roles that have excessive demands

24. Religious Context
Gallup Poll found that 60% of Americans reported that religion is very important in their lives
91% of Americans believe in the supernatural
74% of Americans believe in an afterlife
82% of Americans believe in God or a higher power makes someone a better person
76% of Americans believe that God or a higher power judges their actions

25. Spirituality and Religiosity
Spirituality – the depth to which a person experiences the sacred
Religiosity – an individual’s preference for religious expression

26. Influence of Religion on Dating and Marriage
Sharing spirituality
Religious systems teach appropriate ways to conduct lives
Religious convictions impact selection of an acceptable mate
Interfaith relationships may require a greater degree of tolerance
Rituals around special holidays may pose dilemmas

27. The Government Context: Family Policy and Family Life
Family Policy – governmental goals and/or programs that seek to support and strengthen families
Policies address
School readiness and literacy
After-school programs
Parenting and childrearing
Childcare
Care of the elderly
Equal housing opportunities
Substance abuse/use awareness programs

28. Poverty
Absolute poverty – not having enough money to meet the essentials of life, such as food, shelter and clothing
Relative poverty – have difficulty maintaining an average standard of living

29. Poverty threshold – based on family’s monetary income and their measure of need
Working poor – those who are working but remain below the poverty threshold for their family size

30. Those Affected by Poverty
Rural Poor
Poverty rates are higher in rural areas
Three causes of poverty in rural areas
The Natural Environment
The Economic Structure
Social Norms

31. Those Affected by Poverty
The Urban Poor
Ghetto poor: those inner-city residents, primarily black or Hispanic living below the poverty line

32. Healthcare
Attitudes toward health and wellness are formed in the family
Emotional and psychological health are closely linked
Declining physical health can have a negative impact on marital satisfaction

33. Education
Equality of quality education does not exist for everyone in the U.S.
Lack of education leads to poverty
No Child Left Behind – established minimum standards for achievements for students nationwide

34. Social Welfare War on Poverty: Economic Opportunity Act
Created welfare programs such as:
Head Start
Medicare
Medicaid
Food Stamps
Job Corps