Chapter 12 Balancing Work And Family Life

1
Chapter 12Balancing Work And Family Life

• Social Meanings of Money
• Dual-Earner Marriages
• Balancing Demands of Work and Family
• Balancing Work and Leisure Time with Family
• Barriers to Leisure

2
Effects of Employment on Women

• Positive
• Enhanced psychological well-being.
• Greater sense of independence.
• Increased social contacts.
• Increased power.
• Escape from exhaustion of child care.

3
Effects of Employment on Women

• Negative
• Role overload - not enough time/energy to meet
  demands of various roles.
• Role conflict
• Role strain - cant do it all.
• Risk of sexual harassment.

4
Dual-Earner Marriages and Men

• Advantages
• Relieved of sole responsibility to be economic
  support of family.
• Freedom to have closer relationship with
  children.
• Opportunity to experience happier wife.

5
Dual-Earner Marriages and Men

• Disadvantages
• Feeling threatened if wife earns higher income.
• Being expected to do more housework/child care.

6
Dual-earner Marriages and Marriage

• Factors
• The greater the job satisfaction, the happier the
  marriage.
• If husband supportive of wifes employment and
  helps with housework/child care, marriage
  improves.

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Social Meanings of Money

• Self-esteem
• Power
• Security
• Love
• Conflict

8
 Types of Dual-Career Marriages

• HIS/her - husband's career takes precedence.
• his/HER - wife's career takes precedence.
• HIS/HER - careers of both wife and husband are
  given equal status.
• THEIR CAREER - wife and husband have the same
  career

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Effects of Dual-Career on Children

• Children do more housework.
• Have less supervision than children who have one
  parent at home.
• Have less traditional gender role attitudes.

10
Three shifts

1. Workplace shift
2. House care/childcare shift
3. Emotional expense of dealing with family issues.

11
Balancing Work and Family Strategies

• Superperson strategy
• Cognitive restructuring
• Delegation of responsibility
• Planning and time management
• Role compartmentalization

12
 Functions of Leisure Time

• Relieves work stress
• Facilitates social interaction
• Fosters self-expression/personal growth
• Enhances emotional well being.

13
Barriers To Leisure

• Demands of the workplace.
• Materialistic values - The more we have, the more
  we want, so the harder we work.
• Traditional gender roles - Women have hobbies
  related to household tasks and take
  responsibility for family holidays.

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Barriers To Leisure

• Leisure as a commodity - Leisure activities cost
  money that families may not have in their
  budgets.
• Leisure time is used as a means to reduce stress
  and has become a job in itself.