This chapter draws upon 14 years of related ethnographic studies to uncover the principal features that characterize family life among the poor. Experiences dealing with multiple agencies are discussed, as well as experiences dealing with health problems in the context of the U.S. medical care system, and the aftermaths of household emergencies. 34 references.
This chapter synthesizes the results of both quantitative experimental and qualitative research about how low-income children fare as their mothers spend more time in the labor market and attempt to strike a new balance between work and parenting. Findings indicate policies that effectively increase parental income as they increase employment improve the well-being of young children and are the most promising for helping families cope. Numerous references.
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Journal Article Recession-related increases in men's child care are well documented, but supporting evidence describes the last several decades of the 20th century. Changes in family life and in the association between families' economic conditions and the macro economy provide reason to question the continued existence of a “recession effect.” This article evaluates the frequency of married and cohabiting fathers' engagement in the day-to-day tasks of child care during the so-called Great Recession, using data from male respondents to the 2006–2010 National Survey of Family Growth. Results indicated an…
You can be a good dad and a successful businessman by being the same person in both places. Daddy@Work shows you how openness and tenderness can work at the office and how your management and planning skills can work at home. As a young executive, Robert Wolgemuth discovered how work and home could become "graduate schools" for each other. This is the message of Daddy@Work: a successful man transfers skills in one sphere to the other, thereby improving them both.Whether you're a white- or blue-collar worker, whether a CEO or an electrician, if the commute between home and business feels more…
This book is for young couples becoming a family, either pregnant or with a new baby. It meets you where you are -- ready or not, and married or unmarried -- and helps you to be your very best. The love you bring your baby can help your baby grow and thrive. As two parents, working together, you have twice as much to give. And there are lots of good ways to get free or low cost help.
With three major sections -- on parenting, couples issues, and financial issues -- it offers a wealth of needed information and resources. For agencies, the book is an efficient and affordable way to…
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Journal Article Child support is a critical source of income, especially for the growing proportion of children born to unmarried mothers. Current social policy supports custodial parent employment (e.g., the Earned Income Tax Credit [EITC] and other work supports have largely taken the place of an entitlement to cash assistance for single mothers of young children). Given many single mothers' limited earnings potential, child support from noncustodial fathers is also important. This raises questions about the effects of child support on custodial mothers' labor supply, and whether policies that increase…
We begin with an overview of men’s participation in the workforce and their distribution across occupations. We briefly review vocational theories, and the limited research on men within those theoretical perspectives. We then review the research in men’s nontraditional careers, including studies that have investigated men who choose to be stay-at-home fathers. We also review the literature on men’s work–family interface, including their work–family and family–work conflicts. Finally, we discuss the research on men and career counseling. The latter is often a non-threatening entry for men…
This book explores how dramatic changes in family welfare policies over the past decade have impacted the work, child care practices, and relationships of low-income mothers and fathers. Drawing upon several local, State, and national qualitative studies, the book explores how women and men are reading the policy signals, rules, and incentives as they attempt to raise their children and earn sufficient income to hold their families together. The text is divided into three themes centered around women’s roles as workers and mothers, policy effects on children, and the evolving role of fathers…
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Journal Article Transnational migratory labor remains a primary method many Filipinos use in an effort to gain financial security for their families. Based on data collected from an urban Southern Visayan province during the summer of 2007, this study examined a sample of 116 OFW (Overseas Filipino Workers) families and a sample of 99 traditional two-parent households. Comparative analyses revealed that mothers from OFW families demonstrated lower levels of warmth when compared with mothers from two-parent homes. Children from OFW families were reported to demonstrate greater internalizing and…
This chapter outlines fathers' issues in harmonizing work and family needs and expectations. Using the metaphor of musical harmony as a paradigm for working fathers, it explores the significance of work for fathers in their role as parents and the frequent conflicts that occur between work and family contexts. Suggestions for dealing with work-family conflicts are offered, such as limiting work time as possible, bundling activities, staying in touch from a distance, and using flexible work options. 16 references.
