families and social action forum responses

Hey All! 

My name is Cassie. I currently live in Portland, OR and work as a preschool teacher! I like to go on adventures, read, and play soccer and guitar! Just a small bit of an introduction!

In terms of family policy, I think the most important information from the transcript is the definition of family policy and what family policy entails. As the transcript states, family policy is somewhat of an extension/emphasis on social policy, but instead of the way we interact socially, family policy is the way we interact and work as a family (Bogenschneider & Gross, 2000). The transcript states the four family functions include family creation, economic support, childrearing, and family caregiving. Each of these functions is key to maintaining balance in the family, or maintaining family policy. If the family is not involved in the caregiving, who is caring for the children? Additionally with childrearing, who is teaching these children how to function in the home, as well as in their ecosystem, macro, micro, and mesosystems? Economic support is another key factor in maintaining a positive balance in the family because families in poverty often face larger issues than families who have economic support. According to Welch (2012), census data shows that there are upwards of 15.8 million children in America living in poverty. Children and families in poverty often face problems with mental and physical illness, as well as a decrease in their quality of life. 

Another key point from the transcript is that each family creates their own family policy based on their perspectives of their family and family life. Every family has their own way of maintaining family balance based on the way they were raised and the way they want to raise children. Based on which way a family performs their childrearing and caregiving, their family policy may be different from their neighbors or from the other kid in their child's class, in the same aspect multiple families could have the same family policies and perspectives and raise their families the same. 

The third piece of information that grabbed my attention was the Oregon Social Learning Center's parent education program, mainly because I am a resident of Oregon, but also because I am in the childcare field and have worked with many parents who I believe need education on parenting. According to Bogenschneider & Gross (2000), 30-40% of children who experienced inconsistent parenting in their early childhood years experience anti-social behaviors and become violent offenders later in life. The OSLC provides trainings for parents to learn about managing children with anti-social behavior, and preventing this behavior. 

Cassie

Bogenschneider, K. (2000, November). Research update for practitioners: Putting family policy on the political agenda. Invited address for the National Council on Family Relations, Minneapolis, MN.

Welch, K. J. (2012). Family life now: 2010 census update (2nd ed.). S.l.: Prentice Hall. 

The United States Department of Labor shows that the number of women in the labor force has gradually increased over the past four decades.  In 1970, approximately 38 percent of the workforce was women, and in 2012, it rose to 47 percent (DoL, 2016).  My family background coincides with the trends.  

According to The State of Our Unions, 2008, the number of marriages drastically decreased from 77 percent in 1970 to 39 percent in 2007 (Carlson, 2009).   These numbers coincide directly with the increase of women in the workforce.  I do not think that it is coincidental that more and more women are working compared to three decades ago.  Women didn’t have to work back then.  Now, they almost have to either be married to someone that is working, or work themselves in order to get by.

My maternal grandmother lived on a farm with my grandfather, who was a farmer.  She kept the books for the farm, but never worked outside of the home.  They had nine children, one of whom died during infancy, but the rest of the children helped out on the farm from a young age.  My mother had three children, and worked full- time at a local store for the majority of my younger years.  My family struggled with money, so when I was a little older, around age 11 or 12, she went back to college to get a degree, and soon after, she was working full time for a hospital as an MRI technician, which paid considerably more than her minimum wage store clerk job.  Now in my generation, I got my first part time job when I was 15, at a grocery store, then at a daycare center, McDonald’s, Arby’s, Blockbuster, then I joined the Navy.  I always wanted to have my own money so I was eager to work.  So over the generations, my grandmother did not work outside the home, but both my mother and I did.  For my grandmother, the housework and childcare still was solely up to her.  Until this day, she has dinner on the table by 5 P.M. for my 90 year old grandfather, and does all of the household chores.  My mom and dad share duties, especially now that there are no kids living at home.  But even when there were children at home, they typically shared all household duties.  

My family is a little untraditional.  I am active duty military, and my husband is a stay at home dad.  We still share most of the household responsibilities, but he does all of the childcare during the week when I’m at work.

Raising a family is complicated in today’s society.  There are so many more environmental concerns nowadays.  We don’t want them to walk to the park or to the bus stop on their own, we have to monitor what they’re watching on TV, and on the computer, and what they listen to on the radio.  

References:

Carlson, A. C., (2009). The Family in America:  Retrospective and Prospective.  The Family in America:  A Journal of Public Policy.  Retrieved from http://familyinamerica.org/journals/fall-2009/family-america-retrospective-and-prospective/#.V2HbkjZf1kK

The United States Department of Labor,. (2016). Civilian labor force by sex, 1970-2012. Retrieved from https://www.dol.gov/wb/images/chart_10mv.gif

     Hello everyone,

This week is about women in the work force. Women and their right to work has grown so much in the past years and decades. "Today, women make up nearly half of our workforce, and many women are the primary breadwinners for their families. In fact, more than 75 percent of single mothers are the sole provider for their family. The increased number of women in the labor force has both reflected and contributed to a major social transformation over the past several decades. Women’s notable progress over the years is reflected in their increased educational attainment, higher earnings, greater occupational diversity, and a larger presence in leadership positions and entrepreneurial fields." (USDL). I am glad to see numbers up for this due to the fact that more families in the modern day are broken up families and have single parents. Some questions that need to  be answered are such:

How has your family changed over the past 3 generations in regard to women’s involvement in the workforce?                   

My family honestly hasn't changed that much due to the work force changing. My great grandmother always worked hard and passed that on to my grandma. My mom was a single mom so she worked while I was watched by my grandma or at a daycare.  

What female family members worked or are working outside the home?

My great grandma, my grandma, and my mom all worked inside and out. My grandma worked in a home business while my mom worked outside the home. Each taught me that you work hard to get where you want to be.  

How is that different from the workforce involvement of current female family members?

It is not different.

As a result, how has childcare and housework changed in your family?

In my case nothing changed because it is what I grew up with and was accustomed too. I never saw a woman in my family not work hard to better herself or her family.

With numbers such as so rising programs are being made to help families and single moms, married women and so on with things in their life. There are non-profit organizations today as well. Everything that is done will help children and their future. Duke actually made a program for things like this. "The Center for Child and Family Policy officially opened on July 1, 1999, guided by Bill Chafe’s broad and bold charge: “Make a difference!” Today the Center does just that, with more than $7 million in yearly grant funding, 70 employees and more than 40 affiliated faculty fellows. Faculty and staff work together to discover and evaluate strategies for improving children’s lives, and to share their discoveries with policymakers and public agencies." ( duke).

Everyone have a wonderful week,

Chelsey A

History, Retrieved from: http://childandfamilypolicy.duke.edu/about/history/

Overview, Retrieved from: https://www.dol.gov/wb/overview_14.htm

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