Layout 1

Families andWork: The JugglingAct

women to enter more exciting and

satisfying careers.Since 2000,there has

been a leveling off of women’s

employment rates,which represents a real,

but very small,downturn of employment

rates.Social scientists are not sure why this

leveling off has occurred or what the

future trends will be,but it is unlikely that,

as the most affluent nation,there will be a

significant decrease in the number of

working women.

According to the Bureau of Labor,

when families have children their outside

work hours tend to change (U.S.

Department of Labor,2008b).For

instance,fathers of children under 18,

average 42.6 hours per week of outside

work while mothers average 36 hours per

week.In families where the mother does

not work outside the home,fathers

worked an average of 17 minutes longer

per day than fathers whose wives also

work full time.

Sharing the Workload

While husbands today are much more

involved in household chores,the

workload is still not equal in most

families.The amount of time women

spend on housework has dramatically

declined by almost 4 hours per week since

the mid-1960s,while the amount of

houseworkperformedbyhusbandshas

increasedslightlyandthenleveledoff

SIDEBAR9.2

Okay,I admit it.You will find my family eating
at fast-food restaurants more times per week
than we eat at our dining room table. My
kitchen is always the neatest room in the
house—because we seldom use it. My mother,
the“do it all”superwoman, would be ashamed
if she were alive to see how seldom I use all the
pots, pans, appliances, and china she gave me
for our wedding—or maybe she would applaud
because I am thinner and healthier since I don’t
have a lot of extra food around the house.Now
are you shocked because fast food is so
unhealthy?Perhaps so, but you can often find
some healthy alternatives on the menu. And
I’m tired of pushing vegetables on my children,
when all they will really eat are chicken nuggets
(perhaps I’m reaching here, but aren’t French
fries a vegetable?). I’m also tired of cooking
something that only I will eat.I’m surrendering
my obligation to force them to eat veggies to
the peace of allowing them to choose off a
menu, guaranteeing they will eat it without an
argument!
Ihavefoundthatmyfamilyeatsbetter,argues
less, watches television less, and talks to one
anothermorewhenweareatarestaurant—even
ifitisfastfood.Andit’snotmuchmoreexpensive
if you look for the bargains. We’ve actually had
seniors come over and comment how wonderful
it is to see a family laughing and having fun
together over a meal.What a relaxing way to cap
off a grueling work/school day. This is so much
betterthanarguingoverwhatIshouldcook,what
weshouldwatchontelevision,andwhoseturnit
is to do dishes!

Signed,

Queen of the fast foods

—Anonymous