A good family life consists of having time with your family, being healthy, having opportunities to teach children and develop them to become successful and good human beings. When I think about what I want out of life when I have my own family, I think about a good environment near my siblings with a good neighborhood and school around. A good family life also means to be able to have a healthy family. It is also important to be able to support a family financially for both necessities and luxuries. With all that being said, it sounds a lot easier than it really is. To be able to afford healthcare, a nice neighborhood near a good school, healthy food, and luxuries you have to have a job and income. This is where it gets tricky.
The way our society has been structured is for the man to work and the women to stay at home and do “women work.” As we can clearly see, women are a strong part of the workforce now. In fact, almost 65 million women are part of the American workforce. On top of that, men are still a strong part of the work force too. Many women aren’t content to be “stay-at-home moms” anymore, and I think a lot of men don’t expect that as much as they use to. In order to fulfill a “good family life,” you have to have a balance between home and work. To balance home and work means to allow time for your family, but to also be an effective employee. This balance sways heavily on each side. Some individuals bring their work home and are stressed out or don’t give their family the full attention they need. Others go to work and are stuck on the phone to aide their children, they come in late, or have to leave work for an “emergency.” To have a true balance means to leave work at work and have a family life at home, to be able to spend enough time with the family to ensure health, safety, happiness and comfort. It also means to enjoy your career and be a successful and productive employee.
Some of the things that can make it difficult are the type of job someone has, the hours that are expected of the employee to work, their children’s schedule, their spouses schedule, if they even have a spouse, etc. Some of these examples have more weight than others. One woman talks about guilt playing a factor as well. If a parent has a strong work life, then they tend to feel guilty about not being able to fulfill the family side. This is very common with parents who are single as well.
Gender roles have also made work and family issues a little more difficult. Because our society had such a structured role for men and women, it has made it seem challenging to balance the two as these socializations have evolved. Since the women have become such an intricate part of the workforce, it has thrown things off. They previously were expected to send the children off to school and have dinner ready at a certain time. Men were expected to work all day and provide the money that puts the food on the table. One woman talked about how she wasn’t able to attend a certain event for her child that occurred at 9am on a week day. This type of scheduling has been socialized and assumed that a parent, the “stay-at-home mom,” would be able to attend, although she was not available because of her career. Jobs have also increased the hours of work that employees complete. With men and women both working these excruciating hours, it makes it hard for them to be there for their family. Back to the guilt thing too, women feel guilt for not being able to see their kids off to school and go to their events during the day because it has been such a social norm. Men don’t feel that because they haven’t had social expectations to fulfill these duties.
Employers can be sensitive to their employees’ family needs by reaching out to them. Employers need to understand what it means to have a family and to find out what will make it so their employees can have a true balance. In the video, Juggling Family & Work, they suggest many ways for employers to impact these issues. The companies can restructure. The number of hours that are worked need to be considered by the company. They suggest that unions, government, companies and the public find ways for our society to have shorter work weeks and better health benefits. Some companies even offer flexible work schedules. I thought the idea that Hewitt Packard had of shared job duties. They allowed two of their employees to share job duties equally, including with their supervisors and subordinates. This allowed for the mothers to attend to their families, but also allowed them to complete their work, without having too much of a work load. Some companies have a flexible schedule where they can work Monday through Thursday, allowing more time for their family. Others have experimented with telecommuting. I think flexible work schedules are a great idea, but I also think companies have to be cautious. It is great for moral, but does it hurt productivity? Some companies offer day care at work, which allows parents to see their little ones when they have breaks and immediately when they get off. There are certainly benefits and negative things that can come from these.
Having a supporting cast such as family, coworkers and friends always makes life easier. Many families and friends rotate who watches each family’s kids, which allows some free time and relax time. Having the support of companies shows value and keeps the employees moral up. That should ultimately lead to better results and production. When you have these types of support it makes home life better as far as happiness, but it also assists financially as well. It truly helps maintain an even balance.
That’s the ultimate goal right?
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Unit A- Blog 3
I have experienced “carework” in my family mostly in the last year and a half, but not so much me personally having to perform it. It first started when my great grandmother moved out here from California to stay with my grandma because healthcare and caretakers were costing over $80,000 a year. My grandma had some government aide for caretakers during the day, but it wasn’t very great service. My grandma was having to leave work early or would be late from preparing certain types of food for my great grandma. After a few months, my grandma was allowed to work from home as she worked in sales and could do a lot of it over the phone and computer. As time progressed, so did her performance. She is still getting by, but she is not nearly as efficient as she once was. The second example of this that is currently happening in my family is with my sister and mom. My sister had a child and the father is not around. She now lives with my mom while she is finishing up her degree. My sister works in the evenings and goes to school in the mornings. During the middle part of the day she is with her child and my mom takes care of the child in the evening. There have been several times where my mother or sister would have something come up and they would have to adjust there schedule and miss class or work.
In the video, “Juggling Work and Care,” it discussed many issues that arise when individuals that are employed also have to take on the responsibility as a care taker. Some of the problematic issues that arise are a decrease in efficiency of employees, absence, and stress while on the job. I think these organizations in the UK have some great ideas and that they could possibly work, however, I think there is also a lot of room for the ideas to fail or be taken advantage of. My dad was able to leave work when an emergency occurred (i.e. missing the bus, sick at school, etc.), which was very beneficial to him as a caretaker. I can say though, that this was a very rare occurrence and I think that most organizations would allow caretakers or parents to leave in these types of situations. The system being described in the video would allow a lot of freedom for the employees to come and go. It is basically an honor system. I believe the video said that there would be a team of employees to look out for each other and make sure the system wasn’t being abused. What if they team was all corrupt? I definitely feel that employees’ moral and stress would decrease, and obviously attendance won’t be affected if it isn’t being taken, but from a capitalist standpoint; is it efficient for the company? One positive area that I think is pretty possible was the idea of being able to set schedule. If that is feasible to the needs of the business, then I think that’s a great idea. I know that many organizations wouldn’t be fit for that, but some are and likely don’t give that benefit.
Society needs to reconstruct the notion of women’s work by understanding how society has evolved. It is pretty honorable that women are now able to have a career and work, and to be successful at both of them. However, I society once was socialized for women to do “women work” at home without working. It is now to the point where they are expected to do those duties as well as work. Society is in the process of reconstructing though. All these issues are fairly new. I think males are beginning to step into the roles at home that were once classified as the women’s role. As our society is adjusting to all the injustices of the past, some individuals and communities are going to adjust faster and some are going to be extremely slow. The fact of the matter is, is that these expectations are no longer going to be reasonable. Men have a lower unemployment rate; more women are attending college than men, and attending more than women ever have period.
In the video, “Juggling Work and Care,” it discussed many issues that arise when individuals that are employed also have to take on the responsibility as a care taker. Some of the problematic issues that arise are a decrease in efficiency of employees, absence, and stress while on the job. I think these organizations in the UK have some great ideas and that they could possibly work, however, I think there is also a lot of room for the ideas to fail or be taken advantage of. My dad was able to leave work when an emergency occurred (i.e. missing the bus, sick at school, etc.), which was very beneficial to him as a caretaker. I can say though, that this was a very rare occurrence and I think that most organizations would allow caretakers or parents to leave in these types of situations. The system being described in the video would allow a lot of freedom for the employees to come and go. It is basically an honor system. I believe the video said that there would be a team of employees to look out for each other and make sure the system wasn’t being abused. What if they team was all corrupt? I definitely feel that employees’ moral and stress would decrease, and obviously attendance won’t be affected if it isn’t being taken, but from a capitalist standpoint; is it efficient for the company? One positive area that I think is pretty possible was the idea of being able to set schedule. If that is feasible to the needs of the business, then I think that’s a great idea. I know that many organizations wouldn’t be fit for that, but some are and likely don’t give that benefit.
Society needs to reconstruct the notion of women’s work by understanding how society has evolved. It is pretty honorable that women are now able to have a career and work, and to be successful at both of them. However, I society once was socialized for women to do “women work” at home without working. It is now to the point where they are expected to do those duties as well as work. Society is in the process of reconstructing though. All these issues are fairly new. I think males are beginning to step into the roles at home that were once classified as the women’s role. As our society is adjusting to all the injustices of the past, some individuals and communities are going to adjust faster and some are going to be extremely slow. The fact of the matter is, is that these expectations are no longer going to be reasonable. Men have a lower unemployment rate; more women are attending college than men, and attending more than women ever have period.
Unit A- Blog 2
Sex segregation is the separation of individuals based on their sex or gender. The way in which I am analyzing it is in the work place. There are many jobs, occupations and careers that are socialized for men and women. By socialized I mean that our society structures these rolls for men and women through social norms and constructs. In the article Analyzing Gender, it discusses how males and females are socially constructed since they are early children. Our society stresses the difference between genders through socialization, even as small as pink and blue. One other area it talks about is when boys and girls are children they often spend most of their time with their mothers. Hess and Ferree state that, “males become more individuated than females. This is because defining themselves as males requires psychological separation…” They go on to explain how these types of early socialization in their lives allow for males and females to pick up different characteristics. One example they used was the separation described above socializes maleness to reject feminism. It goes on to explain that the mother spending a majority of time with children also defines a roll as a caretaker for the female gender. These social differences happen in many other ways and continue on throughout their life eventually effecting individuals’ occupations. It is very clear in our society that there are certain occupations that are predominantly male or female. Some examples are nurses, administrative assistants, teachers, construction workers, etc. Another area that is directly related to sex segregation is also the pay. Statistically men make more than women for completing the same job duties and in general. In fact, women currently make 77% of what men do right now (NPR, May 10, 2009).
At Arizona State University we see some of these socializations and examples of sex segregation. One example I have noticed is that when I have an advisor appointment, it is generally a female that books my appoint when I call in and ask. Often when I arrive for my appointment a female is in an administrative assistant or secretary type roll for the advisors. Another example I have observed is at the student payment center. Every time I have gone to make a payment it was a female cashier and females at all of the other clerk centers. One of my friends was in the engineering department and informed me that there was a minimal amount of female students and teachers in his program. The last example that I have noticed is the public transportation at ASU. The light rail is nearly always operated by men, along with the Orbit and bus system too. In the article Analyzing Gender, it discusses how men generally get the more “lucrative” jobs like full time public bus jobs, while women get the part time jobs like school bus drivers. This example is also pretty familiar to me. My mother was a bus driver throughout my early childhood. The reason she chose that career was because it worked around her schedule to where she would have time to get us ready for school and be home right after we arrived from school. Therefore, school bus drivers are affected by sex segregation because it is a social norm for women to have the availability for their children.
Gender roles throughout my life have been pretty general to our society’s. My mother stayed home during our early childhood while my father worked. My dad has always been in a manager and leadership job in a business environment, which is a trait associated with the male gender. My mom then began working as a school bus driver because it allowed second income, but also allowed time for her to set us off to school and to be home in time to prepare dinner. My mom certainly buys into the gender stereotype that goes along with cooking. My mom always cooked every night and my dad worked all day. As I became older though, my mom’s job began growing into a career and she became a career woman after we were basically old enough to fend for ourselves.
At school socialization was probably the most noticeable looking back. There were boys lines and girls lines, pink clothing with flowers and dresses versus males wearing athletic and sports type clothing. During my elementary education I only had one male teacher. Teaching in my eyes is one of the most sex segregated jobs still to this day. Everyone I know that is now finishing up school and has become a teacher has been female. Also, on the subject of teachers, every principal I ever had has been a man. Schooling also segregates sports, just like the rest of our society.
Some of the examples I have seen at work are typical as well. A majority of women are in administrative roles, HR roles and a limited amount in leadership roles. In my field especially there is a lopsidedness of the male to female ratio. I am in Loss Prevention for a retailer and apprehend shoplifters. This job consists of becoming physical when necessary and having to demonstrate authority when arresting shoplifters. Most the time I have only had one or two females on the large teams I have been apart of.
I think this socialization is related to patriarchy because it continues to demonstrate that the father or male is in authority a majority of the time. The social authority is demonstrated in the upper management, the principal, authoritative roles, etc.
The wage gap still continues although more men are unemployed for several reasons. The first reason that makes the most sense to me is that statistically men make more than women, so letting them go first would be an easy and business smart decision. Another reason was due to the nature of the jobs being cut such as construction, manufacturing and financial services. A reason that was also discussed on a youtube video titled "Wage Gaps," an individual discusses the notion that women choose careers that pay less (i.e. teaching), and another stated that some women are passive during the hiring process and don't negotiate enough. The last reason, which was discussed on NPR, on May 10, 2009, was because they are taking second jobs which are pretty low wage jobs.
At Arizona State University we see some of these socializations and examples of sex segregation. One example I have noticed is that when I have an advisor appointment, it is generally a female that books my appoint when I call in and ask. Often when I arrive for my appointment a female is in an administrative assistant or secretary type roll for the advisors. Another example I have observed is at the student payment center. Every time I have gone to make a payment it was a female cashier and females at all of the other clerk centers. One of my friends was in the engineering department and informed me that there was a minimal amount of female students and teachers in his program. The last example that I have noticed is the public transportation at ASU. The light rail is nearly always operated by men, along with the Orbit and bus system too. In the article Analyzing Gender, it discusses how men generally get the more “lucrative” jobs like full time public bus jobs, while women get the part time jobs like school bus drivers. This example is also pretty familiar to me. My mother was a bus driver throughout my early childhood. The reason she chose that career was because it worked around her schedule to where she would have time to get us ready for school and be home right after we arrived from school. Therefore, school bus drivers are affected by sex segregation because it is a social norm for women to have the availability for their children.
Gender roles throughout my life have been pretty general to our society’s. My mother stayed home during our early childhood while my father worked. My dad has always been in a manager and leadership job in a business environment, which is a trait associated with the male gender. My mom then began working as a school bus driver because it allowed second income, but also allowed time for her to set us off to school and to be home in time to prepare dinner. My mom certainly buys into the gender stereotype that goes along with cooking. My mom always cooked every night and my dad worked all day. As I became older though, my mom’s job began growing into a career and she became a career woman after we were basically old enough to fend for ourselves.
At school socialization was probably the most noticeable looking back. There were boys lines and girls lines, pink clothing with flowers and dresses versus males wearing athletic and sports type clothing. During my elementary education I only had one male teacher. Teaching in my eyes is one of the most sex segregated jobs still to this day. Everyone I know that is now finishing up school and has become a teacher has been female. Also, on the subject of teachers, every principal I ever had has been a man. Schooling also segregates sports, just like the rest of our society.
Some of the examples I have seen at work are typical as well. A majority of women are in administrative roles, HR roles and a limited amount in leadership roles. In my field especially there is a lopsidedness of the male to female ratio. I am in Loss Prevention for a retailer and apprehend shoplifters. This job consists of becoming physical when necessary and having to demonstrate authority when arresting shoplifters. Most the time I have only had one or two females on the large teams I have been apart of.
I think this socialization is related to patriarchy because it continues to demonstrate that the father or male is in authority a majority of the time. The social authority is demonstrated in the upper management, the principal, authoritative roles, etc.
The wage gap still continues although more men are unemployed for several reasons. The first reason that makes the most sense to me is that statistically men make more than women, so letting them go first would be an easy and business smart decision. Another reason was due to the nature of the jobs being cut such as construction, manufacturing and financial services. A reason that was also discussed on a youtube video titled "Wage Gaps," an individual discusses the notion that women choose careers that pay less (i.e. teaching), and another stated that some women are passive during the hiring process and don't negotiate enough. The last reason, which was discussed on NPR, on May 10, 2009, was because they are taking second jobs which are pretty low wage jobs.
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