Blog #4

Some characteristics of a good family life are having enough time to properly raise children, having paid family leave, having health care for children and their parents and having child care that is generous and encourages and promotes a child’s development. In our society this is becoming increasingly difficult to create a good family life with the demands of work and home both mounting. What most parents need to do is to find a balance between a career and family in order to create that perfect family life.

Achieving a balance between a career and a family life is different for each family. A family who has a lucrative career may be able to take time off to spent time with their kids. They may also be able to afford impromptu child care if their work schedule suddenly changes. A family who doesn’t make as much money may struggle to make ends meet while spending enough time with their children. In the video clip we saw the different ways that families tried to achieve this balance. Some parents worked split shifts so their children would never be home alone. Others would work part time and sacrifice promising law profession in exchange to spend more time with the kids while others would leave the firm all together. One mother would leave her kids alone for a few hours and stress about whether or not they were alright in order to keep her job and provide for her family.

The factors that make the balance between work and home difficult to achieve are the high expectations in both environments. One mother mentioned being torn between being a team player at work by being on call and on site as a computer technician and being home and ensuring her children were being raised properly. Another factor that makes the balance between home and work difficult is the constant struggle to afford child care and which means sacrificing spending time at home in order to work and make enough money. Finally, long commutes to and from work can mean less time at home for parents who want to balance a career and family life. One mother who worked in New York had to commute for an hour and a half by taking several trains to make it home in time for dinner.

Some tips for balancing work and family life are to prepare to try to be as efficient as you can on the job in order to be sharp and focused. Figure out what helps you work better by either working less hours or changing the way your work. Parents can also do some work at home and in between their children’s school events in order to create a better balance.

Changes in traditional gender roles have made work and family issues more complex. This began with the rising educational levels of women that caused their career aspirations to rise. During World War II, women held non-traditional jobs while men were at war and this changed their views of what they could do in the work force. Also, clothes were being massed produced there was no need for women to stay at home to sew clothes anymore. By 1873 the economy took a fall and families could no longer survive solely off their husbands check so women had to go to work. By the 1980’s the hours that a couple worked increase by 600 hours a year so all that time at home meant less time spent at home. This left both parents in a bind because they had to make a choice about either furthering their careers or spending time with their families.

This choice can be become less of a burden if employers can be sensitive to their employees’ family needs or obligations. They can do this in several ways like for example offering part-time work, being more flexible, offering job share partnerships and allowed their employees to work from home.

Aside from having employers support having family support is very important not only in terms of raising children but also in terms of being a caregiver to a sick or elderly loved one. When a family supports each other during these though times it unites them and it creates loving warmth among them. Family support becomes essential when care giving for a terminally ill family member especially for coping with the death of a loved one. When family support is not offered all one can do is just let go because some people just do not have it in them to be a caregiver.