Sociology on the median family has changed over the years since the 1970’s which has led to many issues. Elizabeth Warren, Professor Todd Zywicki, Stephanie Cootnz all have expressed detailed information of the median family and financial changes. After watching the video of Elizabeth Warren’s Lecture , Warren’s response to the financial issues were that families incomes were shifting in today’s society. This change is due to the increased percentage of working mothers. In the 2000’s families were no longer surviving off a single income from the father but two household incomes. In the 1970s a typical family would survive off of the fathers working income while the mother stayed home with the children. But what most people don't realize is that the male-breadwinner family was invented only 150 years ago, to solve an earlier crisis of work, marriage and family life (Stephanie Coontz …show more content…
This has caused millions of mothers to start working full time.The only good part with mothers heading into the workforce was that households became two-income households and families were able to financially support their family more. Stephanie Coontz states that this change isn’t new and women and children have been working outside of their homes for thousands of years and brought home money like their husbands did. In the 1970’s families were putting eleven percent into savings, but in 2006 there was zero percent put into savings. Professor Todd Zywicki feels the reason why families are not saving any money in the bank because they have not figured out that double income earning is gaining nothing because extra expense are incurred with the second job and unneeded spendings.(Todd Zywicki) .Warren says that the median family were in revolving debt because they were spending more money on mortgage rates, car notes , taxes and education for their
Ultimately, he concludes that the concept of working-class family in which wife is a homemaker and husband the sole provider for the family no longer exist. He bases his conclusions on the premise that shift in cultural attitudes and lack of livable wages for working class have created alternative forms of cohabitation, where the partners aren’t married and have children out of wed-lock, which have been replacing the standard family unit—although in an unstable manner. I am convinced by his arguments because current ideas of
Additionally, under Reaganomics, outcome in American families was over their income, “wives and young mothers joined the work force to make ends meet.” Social context affected to family
Yes, I do agree with the article because in my opinion the 60s ideal family was a historical anomaly. Even studying U.S. history on its own reveals the vast majority of families had two working parents. While only one might work outside the home, the other still worked to contribute to the family income or at least lessen the family expenses. I believe the decline in the traditional family is the result, at least in part, by a lack of earnings and increased levels of consumption. Many families need dual-incomes so they can provide for their family.
According to Parsons, nuclear family is familial form consisting of a father, a mother, and their children (pg. 453). A nuclear family is also considered to be the “traditional family” and this occurred greatly during the 1900’s. The traditional family would be a man and women get married at a young age, have children, the father goes to work and makes the money, while the wife stays home to raise their children and tent to the house. It was expected that the wife has the house clean and for dinner to be on the table when their husband was home from work, this was the dominant model for people living in the 1950’s.
An Analysis of the Household Incomes Changes between 1947 to 1979 and 1979 to 2009 Income inequality has been an issue that the United States of America has been struggling with since time immemorial. The distribution of wealth in the country has been not even. The country has experienced a lot of changes in the family incomes since 1947. Historical data from the national census bureau will be of help while trying to analyze the income of various families during the period 1947 to 1979 and from 1979 to 2009. These data will assist in outlining the disparity that exists in family income distribution.
Men were labeled as the authoritative figure in a majority of households in 1920. Men were pressured to work as long and hard as possible during the weekend due to the mother not having a source of income. A father’s responsibility was to make the income. Commonly, the father was usually not present to his family until the late hours of the night during the weekday. Leaving at the brisk of dawn and returning past dinner time, it was a long and strenuous day for men.
Many families felt the repercussions directly through lower family incomes, which meant 20 to 30 dollars a week for all their expenses (Ware). In addition, the Great Depression caused a shift in gender roles. Men, who believed themselves to be breadwinners, were embarrassed as they couldn’t take care for their families. It is a known fact that men were inflicted terribly by the great depression, as those employed in steel, rubber, and chemical industries lost their jobs. Women, on the other hand, saw their roles in the home amplified; behind closed doors they fended for the family, especially women who were deserted or divorced.
Even after the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl had come to an end, the mark left on family life can still be seen today. “Fewer children were being born, and the size of the typical American family shrank to the smallest of any decade,”. Prior to the events of the 1930s, American families were relatively large but, because parents were not able to support their family as easily, their size dropped greatly. This dramatic shift completely changed the family dynamic during the 1930s and influenced future families for
While family structure has changed dramatically since the 1950’s, what current changes are we seeing; and how is it affecting the roles to which we play in a compromising world. In the 1950’s families consisted of a head of household (the Father), the house wife (or mother); and their offspring (the children). The father’s duty was to bring home the bacon, while making end meets for his family, while the wife stayed home and cared for the children, the elderly; and took on the household duties. These families usually lived in the suburbs, where they raised their children; while teaching them the proper ways of life. During this time in history, young women were expected to find a mate through persuasion, then get hitched; and eventually produce an offspring.
Urbanization made many families move to cities and start entirely new lifestyles that hadn’t been as prominent in the past. Before industrialization, the cottage industry, small home businesses, and farming were common forms of income. But, as they moved to cities, that had to change. Familial life weakened as mothers began working in factories, children occupying their time either working or playing in the dirty streets. People lived in overcrowded tenants or apartments.
Women and the battle to maintain a work-lifestyle balance has been consistently debated and toyed with by society for ages. Anne-Marie Slaughter, Professor of Politics and author of “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All” explains the continuous hardship of balancing a career and a family; as well, Stephen Marche, writer and author of “Home Economics: The Link Between Work-Life and Income Equality” combats Slaughter’s article and the many gaps present in society. Slaughter and Marche compare and contrast the differences of the leadership gap between men and women, the strategies of maintaining a work-balance lifestyle in regards to family, and the type of dialogue representing men in articles written by women. Anne-Marie Slaughter and Stephen
“Generally, men are socialized into believing that their essential role in life is to work outside the home and provide for the family while women are taught that their main role is to be homemakers” (Akotia and Anum 5024). The breadwinner is normally thought of as a man, but Lena puts a twist on that gender role. “You the head of this family. You run our lives like you want to” (Hansberry 1948). Lena breaks the gender role
On September 23, 2009, the well-known television show Modern Family broadcasted for the first time on millions of televisions across the United States. The five-time Emmy award winning and hilarious mockumentary, or mock documentary, styled show gives an honest perspective of family life through its multifaceted characters, witty script writing, and relatable episode premises. As Modern Family enters its seventh season, the series continues to leave a tremendous effect on its viewers due to the show’s progressive themes and powerful messages. The biggest impact that Modern Family has had on its viewers is the acceptance of homosexuality. The show’s depiction of two of the main characters, Cam and Mitchell, as a regular couple rather than
In many societies and depending on their cultures, men and women are seen equally and may share the same roles in the household or even a stay at home father and the mother being the breadwinner. In modern family, Phil and Claire share the responsibilities with both working and both looking after the kids. The gay couple, Mitchell and Cameron who has an adopted daughter, together they learn what roles they should take on but not being gender specific when raising their daughter and the dynamics in the household. In many families today, dual earning families increased and not just the male who goes to work but females as well and follow their dreams like furthering their careers. “In the 21st century within households two pay-checks have become essential for most families to maintain even a modest standard of living in order to provide” (Walsh, 2012:11).
Modern Family is a hilarious sitcom that depicts the diversity of today’s American family and is one of the highest rated comedy shows on TV. The show, which is produced by ABC was a success from the first season with over seven million viewers and grew to more than fourteen million views by season three. The shows underlying message, that there is more than just one kind of family and that we are all crazy is done with a kind humor that is a refreshing change from the modern reality TV we now see on most nights. The comedy combined with diversity and great acting makes this show attracting to a broad range of viewers and proves that everyone loves a good laugh. One reason Modern Family has been a continued success over the years is their dedication to what the show was made to be, a comedy.