Chapter 9
Many third-generation marriages
followanegalitarianpattern,characterized
by roleinterchangeability with respect to
career,housework,andfamily
responsibilities.Husbandsandwivesshare
theresponsibility for childcare,household
chores,andincomeproduction.Family
responsibilitiesarenegotiatedand
renegotiated.For somewomen,adoption
of moreegalitarian attitudesleadstoless
maritalsatisfaction.Thisispresumably
becausenontraditionalwivesnegotiate
work andfamily responsibilitiesthat
previousgenerationsof women took for
granted,creatingspacefor conflictsand
disagreementsin therelationship(Amato,
Booth,Johnson,&Rogers,2007).
Working Mothers: The Situation
Today
Currently, the dual-income family has
become the norm, with over 70% of
working-age women employed full time,
including over half of mothers with
children less than 6 years of age (Carter
&McGoldrick,2005). These women
represent all three of the generations
previously discussed. Some women
struggle to do it all—manage
responsibilities at home and at work—as
“superwomen.”Some women who work
outside the home have lightened their
burdens by hiring others to help with
family responsibilities. Still others do not
experience this stereotypical“struggle”
because their husbands contribute
equitably to the mutual tasks of
balancing work and family (Deutch,
Kokot, & Binder, 2007). Sidebar 9.2 is an
example of how one family manages
some of the household responsibilities.
There are many reasons for the large
number of women in the workforce
according to Cotter,England and
Hermsen (2007).These include smaller
families,the rise in single mothers who
must work,and the fall of men’s real
wages (wages adjusted for inflation),
making it necessary for women to work.
Possibly more important reasons are the
increases in women’s education,better job
opportunities,and more opportunity forDespite a leveling off of the number of
mothers in the workforce, over half the
mothers with children under 6 years old
work outside the home.©GettyImages