Effects Of Dual Working Parents Essay
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Effects of Dual Working Parents
Socio-economic conditions in North America have contributed to
the need for dual incomes for families. Economically, "the number of
two parent families below the poverty line would increase to an
estimated 78% if they were to become single income families." (Ontario
Women's Directorate 9) Socially, it was the norm, in the past, for
women to stay at home having a more expressive role in the family;
taking care of the children and providing emotional support for the
family. Presently, women feel that their traditional roles as child
bearers and homemakers must be supplemented with a sense of
achievement outside the home. Recent studies reflect an increased
trend towards the dual income family and projections are for this
trend to continue. In 1961, 30% of married women were working; in
1978, 38% were employed; by 1981 50% were working and in 1985, 55%
held paying positions outside the home. (Jarman and Howlett 95) In
1961, only 20% of all two parent families were dual wage families, but
by 1986, more than half (53%) of all families were dual earning
families. (Ramu 26)
In light of the fact that the majority of two parent families
in the 1990's have also become dual wage earning families, it is
important to examine the effects of such a phenomenon on society in
general and on child rearing in particular. Children acquire their
goals, values and norms based on the way that they view or identify
with their parents as well as from the quality and amount of care,
love and guidance given to them by their parents. Parents who work
present a different image to their children than parents who do not
work. In addition, wage earners, including parents, must (in most
cases), be absent from the home during the day. When considering
these modifications to the family dynamics, there is considerable
basis for proof that the positive effects outweigh the negative
effects experienced by offspring in families were both parents are
employed.
The working parent occupies an important exemplary role within
the family. Working parents often command considerable respect from
their children, because they demonstrate the worthy characteristics of
industriousness, social compatibility, self reliance, maturity,
intelligence and responsibility. Because children identify with their
parents, the feedback from such positive influences tends to be
positive as well because many of these positive characteristics are
imparted upon them. A child who observes the competent coping
abilities of a working parent learns in turn, how to cope with life's
problems. At first this may translate into an improved sense of
self-reliance and independence for the child as well as an improvement
in the ability to be socially compatible. As the child grows, it can
further render a child more emotionally mature and hence more
competent in dealing with responsibility and task completion such as
is needed for school work and extra curricular activities. A study by
Hoffman in 1974 corroborates these observations and therefore one can
conclude that, in general, the working parent provides a very positive
role model for the child in a family where both parents are employed.
(Hoffman 18)
Attitudes of working parents pertaining to achievement,
responsibility and independence affect both male and female offspring.
There seems to be more beneficial effects felt by daughters of working
women than by sons; however, this neither implies nor concludes that
males do not receive some positive effects due to maternal employment.
(Spitz 606) Hoffman has concluded that daughters of employed mothers
tend to be more independent. (Hoffman 73) This tendency may result
from the fact that in the mother's absence, a daughter is often left
to cope with caring for herself: This promotes her independence and
self-reliance. At the same time, the daughter may also be left with
the job of looking after a younger sibling, helping to promote her
sense of responsibility. Significant too, is the fact that daughters
of working mother's tend to be more decisive about their futures than
sons. Further studies have demonstrated that a mother's employment
status and occupation tends to be a good predictor of the outcome of
the working mother's daughter, since daughters tend to follow in
their mother's footsteps. Typically, working mothers held higher
educational aspirations for their children and furthermore, most
daughters tend to achieve higher grades in school. (Spitz 606) It is
also important to note that both male and female children acquire more
egalitarian sex role attitudes when both parents work. Boys with
working mothers showed better social and personal skills than boys of
non-working mothers. On a negative note, middle-class boys tend to do
worse in school when their mothers worked. (Shreve 118) As well,
boys whose mothers work tend to have strained relationships with their
fathers due to their perceptive devaluation of their father's worth as
an adequate bread-winner. (Adele 32) One can conclude that males
may be negatively affected when their mothers work, but males and, to
a greater degree, females are affected in many positive ways with
regards to achievement in independence and responsibility.
Adequate child care is a necessity for parents who both work.
It is often complicated to balance both the parent's and child's needs
when using child care. However, it may be possible to satisfy the
demands of both if forethought and prudence are applied. Many cultures
worldwide realize that a child's nurturing...
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