Chapter 14, Work and Family The Labor Force - A Social Invention The Traditional Model: Provider Husbands Homemaking Wives Women in the Labor Force Two-Earner Marriages Unpaid Family Work

Chapter 14, Work and Family Juggling Employment and Unpaid Family Work Diversity and Child Care Selecting a Child-Care Facility The Two-Earner Marriage and the Relationship

Husbands and the Provider Role The “good provider role” emerged in the the 1830’s and lasted through the late 1970’s. In 2000, 19% of men in married-couple families were the sole breadwinner compared with 42% in 1960.

Provider Role Systems Main/secondary provider couple - providing is the man’s responsibility, the home is the woman’s. Co provider couple - both partners are equally responsible for providing.

Provider Role Systems Ambivalent provider couple-wife’s providing responsibilities are not clearly acknowledged. Role-reversed provider couple - husband is responsible for homemaking and child care while the wife is the principle breadwinner.

The Wage Gap Women who worked full time in 2000 earned 76 cents for every dollar earned by men. Among managers and specialists, women earned 71% of average male wages. Childless women earn 90% of what males with comparable experience and education earn while mothers at the same level earn only 79%.

Reasons for the Wage Gap Concentration of women in lower-paying occupations and lower-status positions. Employers continue to stereotype women as lacking in career commitment.

Reasons for the Wage Gap Women may aspire to traditional female occupations because they believe these are the only ones open to them. Married men may have wives who contribute to their careers directly or indirectly (by doing most of the domestic work.). Motherhood has a tremendous lifetime impact on earnings.

Housework Marriage increases household labor hours for women. Including child care, many employed wives put in a second shift of family work that amounts to an extra month of work each year.

Theories: Why Women Do Housework Conflict and feminist - women have less power in their families. Ideological - cultural expectations of household labor. Rational investment - couples maximize the family economy by trading off between time and energy investments in paid market work and unpaid household labor.

Theories: Why Women Do Housework Resource hypothesis - a spouse’s household labor is a consequence of his/her resources compared to those of the other spouse. Gender construction - studies the meaning of housework, rather than the practicalities of time and income.

Reinforcing Cycle Men with full-time employment earn more than women who work full-time. In a couple, the wife’s (lower) paid work role is more vulnerable than the husband’s. As a result, the wife will spend less time and energy in the labor force, giving employers a reason to pay women less than men.

Reinforcing Cycle This encourages husbands to see their wives work as less important and conclude that they shouldn’t take responsibly for homemaking. Burdened with household labor, wives find it difficult to invest themselves in the labor market to the same degree as their husbands.

Approaches to Child Care Mothering - couple prefers that the wife care for the children. Parenting - family care is shared by parents Market - career oriented couples hire other people to care for their children.

Resolving Work-Family Issues Families need: Adequate provision for quality child and elder care Family leave Flexible employment scheduling