Two career family versus one career family

Running Head : THE FAMILY

Handling Careers and the Family (NAME (COLLEGE /INSTITUTION (INSTRUCTOR (CLASS )Handling Careers and the Family

Back in the 1950 's , the traditional family consisted of a working husband , a housewife and their children (Baskin , 1998 . This kind of family is known as the one-career family , wherein roles are clearly defined , and division of labor is not for negotiation (Cheatham Cheatham , 1988 . In this kind of family , the father is the head and the income-gainer . In a situation where his job requires him to relocate his family follows . The

mother , on the other hand , is the one responsible for taking care of household chores , her husband , and their kids . This allows her to spend time with her children and build an intimate relationship with them (Skolnick Skolnick , 2002

Unfortunately , most fathers rarely , if not at all , get to nurture their kids . There is usually no direct intimacy between the two . Fathers only serve as symbols to a child 's identity . This is why , in cases of divorce , fathers become indifferent or may even reject their children Although studies say that their absence does not affect school performance , it may still cause juvenile delinquency (Skolnick Skolnick , 2002

In time , women were given equal opportunities in the workplace . Both husband and wife now commit themselves not to mere jobs but to thriving careers so that they may be able to provide for their family (Dickerson Hester , 1984 . This kind of family is referred to as the two-career or dual-career family (Dickerson Hester , 1984

In comparison to the traditional housewife , the modern-day woman has more shoes to fill - a career woman , a wife , and a mother (Cron , 2001 Although playing multiple roles allows her to recognize her own strength and self-worth , she , at some point , faces a dilemma called role conflict ' wherein balancing professional and personal life becomes difficult . There are times when attention is given only to one role consequently leaving the other two roles hanging (Baskin , 1998 ) and causing great stress (Posig Kickul , 2004 . Although husbands offer to help , the modern-day woman still takes most of the burden . Even if both agree to join forces , husbands can only give so much (Dickerson Hester , 1984 . On the bright side , couples that share responsibilities set a good example for their children . Since traditionally , children are used to having their mothers work at home , seeing their fathers do the same thing creates a new role model for them (O Dorisio O Dorisio 2003 . They can also learn to accept responsibilities in an early age by helping around the house themselves (Cheatham Cheatham , 1988

Role conflict can get worse when job relocation is brought up , even more when both spouses are given this offer . This causes trouble in dividing labor at home , and , more importantly , affects the relationship between husband and wife . Even if couples decide to stick together problems may still arise . In one instance , a woman named Helen was asked by her father to pursue their family business in a...