Summary
Chapter thirteen discusses the balance between work and family life. Work in the contemporary United States is facing several serious problems such as deindustrialization, globalization, and offshoring. In addition, social class has a large impact on who gets the most return from their labor. For example, the richest 1 percent of U.S. households are simply getting richer and own 34 percent of all wealth. The majority of Americans, the middle class, are struggling due to the collapsing stock market and housing values and debt. And finally, the working class is barely surviving and many worry about keeping up with their monthly bills.
The slowing economy has effected many families and they’ve had to adopt various strategies to avoid poverty and homelessness. These strategies include taking low-wage and part-time jobs and working nonstandard hours. Unemployment often leads to poverty and homelessness, however homelessness is due to a combination of factors including lack of education or marketable skills, low-paying jobs, domestic violence, substance abuse, a decline in public assistance, and a lack of friends and relatives to help during a crisis.
The twentieth century has seen widespread employment of mothers. There are numerous factors that have affected this rise in women’s employment including an expansion of white-collar jobs, better wages, more control over childbearing, the women’s movement, and increasing educational opportunities. However, in general, women work outside the home for the same reason that men do: for personal satisfaction and to support themselves and their dependents.
The economic recession has resulted in more two-income families, both partners work outside the home. Even though these families often have a higher standard of living, there is often role overload which can lead to increased health risks, decreased productivity, increased tardiness, absenteeism, and turnover, and low morale at work. When partners live and work in different geographic areas they are considered to be in commuter marriages. There are several reasons for this type of arrangement:
1. Deciding not to move when a spouse is relocated
2. Neither spouse may be willing to make major job sacrifices after marriage
3. To avoid uprooting teenage children or elderly parents
4. Financial security
There are considerable inequalities in the workplace that effect women and racial/ethnic groups. Across all occupations, men have higher earnings than their female counterparts. A common explanation for this gender pay gap is that women choose fields with lower earnings, however this doesn’t explain why women have lower earnings than men in both the highest and lowest paying occupations. Another explanation is that women do not take promotions that require greater responsibility; data shows that this is not the case. Another theory is that women are being pushed out of the workplace or getting stuck under glass ceilings. Yet another reason for the gender pay gap is that mothers are more likely than fathers to work part time and take leaves or breaks. Overall, about 41 percent of the gap is simply a result of sex discrimination. The workplace is also known for pregnancy discrimination and U.S. family leave policies are among the worst in the world. There have been some recent changes within the workplace that include bringing babies to work, flextime, and telecommuting.
What I Learned
I had no idea that some U.S. companies allow parents to bring a baby to work every day. As much as I love babies, I think this would be very distracting to the other employees and even somewhat annoying considering how much an infant cries. I suppose I’d have to be a mother to really understand and appreciate this practice.
Question/Concern
Do you think the U.S. should reform it’s family leave policy even if it means increasing taxes?
Chapter thirteen discusses the balance between work and family life. Work in the contemporary United States is facing several serious problems such as deindustrialization, globalization, and offshoring. In addition, social class has a large impact on who gets the most return from their labor. For example, the richest 1 percent of U.S. households are simply getting richer and own 34 percent of all wealth. The majority of Americans, the middle class, are struggling due to the collapsing stock market and housing values and debt. And finally, the working class is barely surviving and many worry about keeping up with their monthly bills.
The slowing economy has effected many families and they’ve had to adopt various strategies to avoid poverty and homelessness. These strategies include taking low-wage and part-time jobs and working nonstandard hours. Unemployment often leads to poverty and homelessness, however homelessness is due to a combination of factors including lack of education or marketable skills, low-paying jobs, domestic violence, substance abuse, a decline in public assistance, and a lack of friends and relatives to help during a crisis.
The twentieth century has seen widespread employment of mothers. There are numerous factors that have affected this rise in women’s employment including an expansion of white-collar jobs, better wages, more control over childbearing, the women’s movement, and increasing educational opportunities. However, in general, women work outside the home for the same reason that men do: for personal satisfaction and to support themselves and their dependents.
The economic recession has resulted in more two-income families, both partners work outside the home. Even though these families often have a higher standard of living, there is often role overload which can lead to increased health risks, decreased productivity, increased tardiness, absenteeism, and turnover, and low morale at work. When partners live and work in different geographic areas they are considered to be in commuter marriages. There are several reasons for this type of arrangement:
1. Deciding not to move when a spouse is relocated
2. Neither spouse may be willing to make major job sacrifices after marriage
3. To avoid uprooting teenage children or elderly parents
4. Financial security
There are considerable inequalities in the workplace that effect women and racial/ethnic groups. Across all occupations, men have higher earnings than their female counterparts. A common explanation for this gender pay gap is that women choose fields with lower earnings, however this doesn’t explain why women have lower earnings than men in both the highest and lowest paying occupations. Another explanation is that women do not take promotions that require greater responsibility; data shows that this is not the case. Another theory is that women are being pushed out of the workplace or getting stuck under glass ceilings. Yet another reason for the gender pay gap is that mothers are more likely than fathers to work part time and take leaves or breaks. Overall, about 41 percent of the gap is simply a result of sex discrimination. The workplace is also known for pregnancy discrimination and U.S. family leave policies are among the worst in the world. There have been some recent changes within the workplace that include bringing babies to work, flextime, and telecommuting.
What I Learned
I had no idea that some U.S. companies allow parents to bring a baby to work every day. As much as I love babies, I think this would be very distracting to the other employees and even somewhat annoying considering how much an infant cries. I suppose I’d have to be a mother to really understand and appreciate this practice.
Question/Concern
Do you think the U.S. should reform it’s family leave policy even if it means increasing taxes?
I think that the family leave policy should definitely be reformed. I think that the positive effects will outweigh any extra tax cost. It would result in more satisfied workers who will consequently be able to perform their jobs more successfully in the long run.
ReplyDelete-Ali Mosser