chapter 12 Flashcards
work and family
Increased labour force participation by women is a significant change in family life in last 50 years
70-81% of Canadian women with children in paid work force (Statistics Canada, 2017)
Women work because families need the income
Social policy changes?
individualization
“The process by which each generation of women is now involving itself in work and education in ways unlike those of earlier generations” (p. 46).
Individualization Due to:
Birth control technology
Increased availability of higher education
1968 divorce laws
4) Changes in Labour Market Regarding Female Labour:
a) Growth in demand for traditionally female
compatible occupations.
b) Legislation that made it more difficult for
employers to discriminate against women.
c) Expansion and feminization of office work.
d) Traditional barriers to women’s working reduced.
Constraints For Women In The Workforce
Strain Between Family and Work Lives
Role overload – feeling overwhelmed from the demands of family and work roles
Role conflict/Roll spillover – family and work roles interfere with eachother
2. Discrimination/Gender Inequality: Occupational gender segregation Pink ghetto Gender wage ratio Solo Status: Being either the only or one of a few members of a particular gender or race within a group.
- Fewer Female Role Models in Non-Traditional Female Occupations
- Sexual Harassment
men and work
“Good Provider Role” (Bernard,1986)
Specialized masculine role that emphasized the husband as the only or the primary economic provider for his family.
Good Provider Role: Rewards
Social status
Reinforcement of the husband’s patriarchal authority within the family
Good Provider Role: Costs
Identity tied to work
Potential for failure (men judged by the level of living they provided)
Often “stuck” in unsatisfying jobs
Restricting effect on men’s family role
New Options for Men
New expectations for greater role sharing (still work but participate more at home)
Some change jobs, turn down promotions, or reduce work hours
Stay-at-home-dads
Most need to work for financial and social reasons
Unpaid Family Work
All of the tasks of attending to the emotional and practical needs of family members:
Household work
Caring for children
Caring for ill or aging family members
Unpaid family work continues to be gendered
Even when women are employed full-time they do more household work.
Women also primarily responsible for caring for children and other family members.
Femininity linked to caregiving
Women are “kin-keepers”
Caregiver strain – burdens attributed to providing care and assistance
Does Society Value Unpaid Family (Household) Work?
Not included in GNP No wages No overtime No benefits No pension
Methods Used to Calculate Value of Household Work:
1) Replacement cost - ie how much would it cost to hire a housekeeper (how much it costs to hire replacement services)
2) Opportunity cost - (how much income ha a person lost as a result of staying home to care for others)
3) Specialist method - (take a task the person does, ie cooking or driving kids, take number of hours it took to do these tasks - multiply by how much it would cost to pay others to o it. add all the costs of different tasks)
Work, Stress, and Family Supports
Many Canadians experience a “time crunch”
Too much to do and too little time
Juggling work and family results in role overload, role conflict, and physical and emotional exhaustion
Stress increasing among both men and women, but women’s increasing more.
Employee related stress disorders cost businesses approx. 33 billion per year (MacQueen, Patriquin & Intini, 2007).
Family friendly workplace practices needed but lacking. For example we need more:
High quality, affordable child care
Flextime
Compressed workweek
Job sharing
Telecommuting
Family friendly workplace supports are not available to most workers
