American Families and the Economy

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American Families and the Economy

• The Family and Work Life
• The Use of Time
• Balancing Home and Work
• Work and Family Authority
• The Life Cycle Squeeze
• Work and Income
• The Entry of Women into the Labor Force
• (like we were ever out of it!!)
• The Growth of Dual-Earner Families
• The Effects of Dual Earnings on Family Income
• What Money Buys
• Family Budgets
• Family Income
• Poverty
• The Family and Social Standing

2
Changes between 1979 and 2003

• Between 1979 and 2003 the median weekly earning
  for men rose 7 it rose 126 for women.
• Between 1979 and 2003 the median weekly earning
  for a full-time worker rose 10 for men it rose
  124 for women.
• Between 1979 and 2003 the change in median weekly
  earnings for men with a bachelor's degree or
  higher rose 20 for women it rose 38.
• For men with some college or no college, all of
  the earnings dropped at least 5.
• For women with some college or no college, all of
  the earnings rose by at least 10.

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4
Where We Work What We Make

• In 1983 women comprised 45.8 percent of
  Technical, sales and administrative support
  workers.
• In 2002, women comprised 38.8 percent of
  Technical, sales and administrative support
  workers.
• In 2004 womens median weekly earning in
  Technical, Sales and administrative support was
  493.
• In 2004, mens median weekly earning in
  Technical, sales and administrative support was
  667.
• The average time a woman spent at work in 1977
  was 34.1 hours per week. In 2002 that increased
  to 36 hours per week.

• In 1983 men comprised 24.5 percent of Managerial
  and Professional specialty workers.
• In 2002 men comprised 28.9 percent of Managerial
  and Professional specialty workers.
• In 2004 mens median weekly earning in Managerial
  and Professional specialty work was 1098.
• In 2004 womens median weekly earning in
  Managerial and Professional specialty work was
  780.
• The average time a man spent at work in 1977 was
  41.7 hours per week. In 2002 that increased to
  41.8 hours per week.

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Women in the Workforce

• More women must depend exclusively on own
  earnings or the state as major support for self
  and family
• Most available new jobs are not high paying
• Between 1950 and 1980 spending on services
  increased almost 12 times
• By 1980 nearly half of every dollar of personal
  expenditure slated for services
• In 1950 only 1/3 of every dollar slated for
  services
• Between 1950 and 1980 service-oriented employment
  comprised 8 more of the GNP but goods as part of
  GNP decreased by 5
• Feminization of poverty is result of cult of true
  womanhood

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Cultural Consequences of Two-Income Families

• Feminization of public and private sphere
• Cult of masculinity replaced with cult of
  sensitivity
• Myth of male destructiveness
• Myth of female constructiveness
• In recent years females out matriculated males in
  both college and graduate school

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Feminist and Conflict Theory Discussion Topics

• Family Time
• Authority
• Occupational Ceiling
• Pressure Line
• Ogburns Cultural Lag
• Family Income
• Prestige
• Status