hw 55

My current research question is basically on the normal family situation. Primarily on the effect households where both parents work has on the children. I don't have one final big question instead i have a group of about 3 questions that all fall under the same basic idea:

QUESTION: How does a household where both parents are working effect the mentality of the child in both childhood and teenage/young adulthood? OR Is a household where one or both parents work better or worse for child involved, will it affect the future aspirations and occupations the children involved? Does it help promote gender equality both now and in the next generation?

comments for other peoples questions

ALICIA
Hi Alicia,

first off i think this a really interesting question that has a different perspective I hadn't thought of before. I like that it deals with two types of relationships, one that deals oneself and another that deals with love relationships. If you want to make it even more interesting and specific you could add another part that discusses why we may or may not need to accept ourselves. Do we all start out not accepting ourselves, Do we all have these insecurities? It might also be interesting to think about what happens in relationships where both participants accept themselves or a relationship where the participants do not. Do relationships where the is no acceptance fail more often? these are just some questions to think about, overall it think your question is pretty good and interesting.

ARDEN
Arden to begin with I like your topic because friendship is something nearly all of us experience and what makes a good friend is something we can all relate to.
Just something to think about would be, does what you want out of a friend vary by situation and context?

also Are there certain commonalities in friendship we all look for, what are the universal necessities we have to have in a friend? this is very similar to your original question but it introduces the idea that what makes a friend is a global phenomenon/ideology.

PART 3:
REVISED QUESTION how does a household in which both parents work effect the child, either though aspirations, values, morals, relationship with family and perceptions of gender roles?

1. "Effects of Dual Working Parents." Studyworld. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2010. .
http://www.studyworld.com/newsite/ReportEssay/SocialIssues/Political%5CEffects_of_Dual_Working_Parents-13.htm

This article, like the others discusses why more families are becoming dual-waged, it builds on the idea that gender roles are no longer what they used to be and as a result more mothers are going to work. Another point that is brought up is that children obtain their values morals and aspirations from their parents so when the parents go to work no matter their gender new norms are being instilled into the children thus less gender inequality. The article further discusses that while working mothers may help set a higher standard and offer a role model for daughters it can put a strain on the relationship of the father and son. A working mother may make the father look like a bad provider and thus the son may not look up to him. The article also touches on the fact that mothers who are happy and feel a sense of accomplishment tend to be warmer and in some ways are better mothers. This article would be best used for that argument that dual working parents help make the next generation more equal and give children more initiative to succeed. Additionally it can be used when discussing the fact that there are multiple options that can be used to supplement direct, constant care of a child by the mother. There are more and more options for parents these days and just because the parent is home more often doesn't mean they will be in constant direct contact with the child.

2. "U.S. Households by Type, 1980%u20132006." Infoplease.© 2000–2007 Pearson Education, publishing as Infoplease.13 May. 2010 .
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0880690.html

This website is data on the number of family and non family homes in the US categorized by type of family or non family. For one it shows that the overwhelming majority of households in the US are families, therefore most of the households in the United States have needs/requirements other than simply going to work and coming back. Families have kids and kids need to be taken care of. Therefore this article would be best to use if i was discussing the type of people who work today and how as parent they have more responsibility and how going to work or staying home is no longer just black and white, there are some gray areas.

3. Wladis Hoffman, Lois. "The Effects of the Mother's Employment on the Family and the Child." University of Wisconsin, 1998. Web. 13 May 2010. .
http://parenthood.library.wisc.edu/Hoffman/Hoffman.html
This essay is good because it covers a more than one aspect of this topic. For one it brings to light the change in employment patterns in the past few decades specifically the changes with mothers in the labor force. It also shows the differences in the child's age compared to the number of mothers working. The study also explains that for daughters whose mother was employed scored higher on tests, was more socially independent, and were more likely to be occupationally successful themselves. Additionally it was reported that children of working mothers are less devoted to gender stereotypes/roles. This study will be very useful when I talk about the effect working families has on the children. It will be great to use this as evidence that working mothers not only help their children develop confidence or help them succeed but also reduce the inequality in gender roles. the study says: "Girls with employed mothers were more likely than girls whose mothers were full-time homemakers to indicate that women as well as men could do the activities that are usually associated with men" therefore this will be very good when i talk about all the positives that come when both parents are working.

4. "Globalization: Children and Working Parents Pay Too High a Price." Harvard school of public health press releases (2006): n. pag. Web. 13 May 2010. .
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2006-releases/press02272006.html
This article is from the Harvard School of Public Health, it discusses the growing necessity around the world for parents to work and leave kids at work or school in order to provide financially. The article discusses some of the similarities seen across the world as well as the fact that not assisting working families helps to increase gender role stereotypes and inequalities. The study the article is based on shows that much to often parents are forced to make hard decisions, do they take care of their kids or make a living? This article can be used if i am making the argument that parents have just as much right to work as non parents and yet it is so much harder for parents to maintain a job. It would also be very helpful if i talk about how the child needs a parent in the short run but it will help in the long run, not only financially but also to create a more gender or economically equal workplace.