MARRIAGE, WORK, AND ECONOMICS Chapter 11

Chapter Outline Workplace and Family Linkages Division of Labor in the Family Women in the Labor Force Dual-Earner and Dual-Career Families Atypical Dual-Earners: Shift Couples and Peer Marriages At-Home Fathers and Breadwinning Mothers Family Issues in the Workplace Living without Work: Unemployment and Families Reducing Work-Family Conflict

Work and Family The majority (88%) of married fathers and almost half (43%) of married mothers worked full time (at least 35 hrs) from 2003-2008. Most of these men and women were also parents. However, men and women in the workforce are affected differently by the presence and number of children. Women tend to decrease workforce participation with each additional child. Men's’ participation is only slightly affected.

Time as a Limited Resource The United States has the longest workweek and the highest percentage of men and women who work over 50 hours per week. This directly affects the amount of time one has to spend with his/her family.

Time as a Limited Resource Conversely, not all American workers experience being overworked. Some workers report being underworked or unemployed. This results in a bifurcation of working time where some workers work longer days and weeks and others work fewer hours than they need or want. Working few or no hours can also greatly affect family life.

Time Strains Workers are reported to feel time strains wherein they do not feel that they have or spend enough time in certain roles or relationships. These time strains tend to be experienced differently by men and women.

Work and Family Spillover Work Spillover Work has an affect on families. It absorbs time and energy and impacts psychological states. This negative spillover is more often reported by employed parents and women in particular. Family Spillover The emotional climate of our homes can affect morale and performance in the workplace (both positively and negatively).

Role Conflict, Role Strain, and Role Overload Occurs when the statuses and positions we occupy contain competing, contradictory, or simultaneous role expectations. Role Strain Occurs when the demands attached to a particular status are contradictory or incompatible. Role Overload Occurs when the all of the roles we occupy require more than we can give and we are drowning in what is expected of us.

Crossover Crossover Occurs when the emotional state of a worker becomes that of their spouse/partner. These can be positive or negative emotions (i.e. stress vs. excitement). Direct: Empathy of one partner by the other Indirect: Conflict caused by spillover

Division of Labor in the Family All families, regardless of form, require dividing the family’s labor among the members. Labor is divided in consideration of age and gender and can greatly affect family functioning.

The Traditional Model Spouses perform complimentary roles: Man as the breadwinner Woman as the caregiver in the home As of 2008, 19.5% of all married-couple families were traditional families. The presence of this family form may not be a direct reflection of their gender ideologies – beliefs about what men and women ought to do – it may simply be the form that works for that family.

The Traditional Model Men’s Traditional Work Good provider equated to a good husband Main source of identity Perform household maintenance (repairs, mowing the lawn, etc.) Any other household labor is considered ‘helping’ their partner If both spouses hold the traditional gender ideology (traditional beliefs about what men and women should do), then this division of work is non-problematic and functional.

The Traditional Model Women’s Traditional Work Expected to perform all household tasks and childcare, even if she is employed outside of the home Oakley’s primary aspects of the homemaker role: Delegated exclusively to women Economically dependent Distinct from “real” (paid) work Most important female role

Women in the Labor Force Women have always worked outside the home Early American families were coprovider families – economic partnerships dependent on both the husband and the wife. Women may have not had equal economic rights, but they were equally valued as productive family members. As work moved to the factory, men took up paid labor and women stayed in the home to care for children and maintain family life.

Women in the Labor Force Single women and mothers in low- and working-class families have always been employed. In July of 2009, 61% of American women were employed compared to 72% if men. The major shift in women’s employment came after 1960 resulting in a family model where both men and women are working full-time.

Reasons for Women’s Increased Employment More single mothers resulting from increased divorces and births to unmarried women Increases in women’s educational attainment Equal opportunity emphasis on women’s employment Better job opportunities for women Decline in men’s wages and the ability to provide with one income

Individual Motivations Economic Need Single mothers must provide for their families. Two incomes are required to maintain a desirable standard of living. Increased self-esteem and self-control Women may find social support, recognition, and appreciation at work that they do not find at home. When asked, more women would prefer to work outside the home than within it but not by much (50% v. 45%).

Women’s Employment Patterns Women’s employment has generally followed marriage and childbearing patterns (i.e. cut back on work to have children). Women no longer automatically leave work when they become mothers. However, when family demands increase, women are more likely than men to cut back on hours to meet those demands.

Dual-Earner and Dual-Career Families Dual-earner families are a result of changes in the economy which requires two incomes in order to maintain a decent standard of living. Dual-career families are distinguished by both partners desiring high-achievement, gender equality, and performing up to their abilities, rather then just providing two incomes. It is often difficult for both partners to achieve their goals and one usually has to be sacrificed for the other.

Dual-Career Families Housework Women tend to do more housework than men (2.5 hrs for married women vs. 1.5 hrs for married men) regardless if they are employed in the labor force. Cohabiting couples tend to have a more equal division of labor than married couples. It appears that marriage, rather than living with a man, turns a woman into a homemaker.

Dual-Career Families Men and Housework Men do more housework and childcare than in the past, but their rates are still lower than that of women. They tend to do more work if their wives earn more money and have a higher education.

Emotion Work in Families Emotion work includes tasks that generate and maintain successful relationships and families. These include: Discussing intimate feelings Bringing partner our of bad mood Praising partner Suggesting solutions to relationship problems Discussing relationship problems Initiate ‘talking things over’ Monitor partner to address disturbances

Child Care Women are responsible for the majority of childcare. Engagement Time spent in direct interaction with children Accessibility Parent is available (same location) to the child but not in direct interaction Father’s engagement and accessibility has increased but is still less that that of mother’s.

Child Care Active Child Care Mothers tend to be more active parents than fathers. Fathers tend to be more involved with sons rather than daughters, younger rather than older children, and first-borns rather than later-borns. Mental Child Care Mental labor – the process of worrying, seeking and processing information, and managing the division of care in the household.

How Division of Labor Affects Adults Marital Power (decision-making power) Employed wives exert more power than non-employed wives. Satisfaction, Sex, and Stability Women tend to be more satisfied with their marriages and desire sex more often if their husbands do more household labor. The risk of divorce is also lower for these couples.

How dual-earner couples divided housework and child care is associated with their levels of marital conflict, marital satisfaction, and physical intimacy and their risk of divorce.

Atypical Dual-Earner Families: Shift Couples In 2004, 18% of all workers worked a shift other than the normal 8-hour day shift. 3 Macro-level Changes: Changes in the economy Increase in service sector jobs Changes in demographics Increased age at first marriage; increase of dual-earner couples who demand entertainment on nights and weekends; aging population which requires medical care 24 hours a day Changes in technology Round-the-clock offices are becoming the norm

Shift Couples Shift couples are couples who structure their lives and work into a turn-taking, alternating system of paid work and family work. Shift couples have reported lower marital satisfaction, more distress, and increased rate of divorce. Conversely, they save money on childcare, a parent is always with the children, and there is increased opportunity for higher wages.

Peer and Postgender Marriages An ‘equal’ marriage does not mean an ‘equitable’ marriage Fairness of household chores is negotiated by the partners Peer Marriages (also referred to as postgender marriages) Take concerns of fairness into account when they structure each aspect of their relationship These couples may avoid the trappings of traditional marriages.

At-Home Fathers and Breadwinning Mothers These relationships seem to be a role reversal, where men and women simply switch traditional gender roles, but this does not seem to be the case. Men seem to stay home due to disability, unemployment, retirement, or school and not due to wanting to care for the home (as we might expect with traditional gender roles).

At-Home Fathers and Breadwinning Mothers Economic Impact These couples may earn less money, but spend less on child care. Social Impact At-homes fathers may become a curiosity and become visible in their domestic role compared to invisible traditional housewives. Marital Impact Men don’t take over housework to the extent that women do, but they are likely to share or do most of the domestic work. High levels of empathy, communication, and appreciation have been found.

At-Home Fathers and Breadwinning Mothers Parental Impact Fathers develop much closer relationship with their children than they most likely otherwise would have. Personal Impact This often results in a shuffling of priorities and the construction of a new social identity for both men and women.

Family Issues in the Workplace Economic Discrimination Women earn, on average, 80% of what men earn. This is largely due to occupational differences wherein male-dominated jobs tend to pay more. Sexual Harassment Abuse of power: unwanted sexual advances and any verbal or physical sexual conduct as a condition of employment Hostile environment: acting in sexual ways to interfere with a person’s performance by creating a hostile or offensive environment

Family Issues in the Workplace Childcare Finding reliable, safe, and affordable childcare can become a huge frustration. This can be in-home, in centers, with relatives, or in nursery schools. Childcare for older children is also necessary. This primarily comes in the form of school and after-school programs. However, these programs are often not consistent and many children end up in self-care, where they care for themselves without the supervision of an adult or older adolescent.

Family Issues in the Workplace Inflexible Work Environments Many US employers still run their businesses as if every worker were male with a stay-at-home wife or are wealthy enough to afford domestic help. They seem to ignore the large numbers of women in the workforce. Companies could provide on-site childcare, flexible sick policies, and paid maternal and paternal leave to help families cope with childcare responsibilities.

Living without Work: Unemployment and Families Unemployment creates a great deal of stress for individuals and families. Even employed workers may suffer stress due to the threat of job loss. This can result in economic distress which includes unemployment, poverty, and economic strain (i.e. financial insecurity). Unemployment can lead to marital dissatisfaction, psychological instability, and marital strain as the family copes with the stress and adapts their roles.

Unemployment Men are especially affected by unemployment due to their identity being so closely tied to that of provider. When men are unemployed, they are at an increased risk of emotional withdrawal, spousal abuse, marital distress, and alcohol abuse.

Reducing Work-Family Conflict Family Policy is a set of objectives concerning family well-being and government measures aimed at achieving those objectives. Policies to make work more flexible Options for flextime, or flexible work schedules, would allow individuals to adjust their work to their life. Policies to help provide parents with childcare Family leave policies Policies to ensure families receive an adequate wage and to protect them from discrimination

Reducing Work-Family Conflict Families are not only emotional relationship, they are work relationships. Families must negotiate their division of labor within the home regarding cooking, cleaning, childcare, planning a budget, and mowing the lawn. These tasks are fundamental to maintaining good family functioning. Families must also determine how they will earn an income. We spend 20 – 80 hours a week at our jobs, and negotiating time successfully will reduce work’s conflict with home.