Emotion and Sex work

Paid Carework

Extended Kin Ties

Division of Unpaid Labor

Domesticity and the Political Economy of Lesbigay Families
Before reading this it could easily be assumed that in lesbigay families, since there isn’t the obvious gender difference household work is split up equally. In reading this it becomes apparent that inequality exists in all types of relationships. Every family is different. It becomes clear that personalities certainly have to be taken into account as well as gender identity. Duties of household chores are not typically assigned to one person. This seems to steem from the couples unwillingness to conform to stereotypes or live by defined gender roles. This leads many of these families to seek outside help because they might both work. The difference between heterosexual couples is that these lesbigay couples seem to start off on the same foot. The similarity being that as one starts to be contributing more financially the other partner might seem to contribute more to household tasks to keep the family functioning.

What seemed interesting to me was the importance of balancing their family life in these lesbigay relationships. It seemed that just as any ordinary couples they are forced with the struggle of mainintaing family and work. Some struggle to maintain the balance while others turn down opportunites in the workforce to maintain their outside relationships.

Personally this article for me was really insightful. I found that I was so used to thinking about men and women couples I was neglecting to examine a huge group of people wo don’t fall in that category. This really helped me see the conflict that arises for all people who look to create a family and also shows me that its almost natural for one person to take charge in the outside world and one in the household world.

Doing Housework: Feeding & Family Life
This article introduces an interesting outlook on housework. It breaks it down to categories. This clarifies that all these tasks are not paid work. It shows that many women see this as a way of showing how much they care and don’t look at like the task of paid work. With the changing age these tasks are now easier and faster. Though things are easier and one might think it gives the family more time to be together. But in actuality takes away from the quality time that is to be shared over these meals. In the growing importance of the family meal it allows for discussion and wind down time for everyone in the family. Conversation allows for strengthened connections this becomes an opportunity for the parents to make sure everyone is healthy and on track.

Chapter 4: Joey’s Problem
Evan and Nancy exemplify the conflict in balancing domestic life and work. It implies that men (husbands) have much more time to themselves then women because they are not contributing the way the women do in the household. This brings to light the demand for new men who share in these additional tasks. With more and more women having jobs they don’t need to split tasks into household and real world they need to split both. With growing divorce rates its hard to not assume that mens inability to adapt to the new roles women are taking on. Though it might look like there might not be an issue with these extra duties that are done for the betterment of the family the women may become resentful. This might also force them to put their children first as opposed to their husbands who they don’t feel are putting their best effort to making the family work.

Autonomy, Dependence or Display: The Relationship Between Women’s Earnings and Housework
This study suggests that womens housework is determined by their own earnings. Married women that earn less seem more likely than other women to have high earnings, or at least earnings compared to husbands. It seems as if there is trouble with finding a balance and most times the womens voice is not valued the same.
Its basically summarized that the more a women contributes financially the more she can afford to have help with domestic duties making her less and less dependent the more money she has.

The Time Bind: Third Shift
This article focuses on the role work plays into our everyday lives and families. Hochschild uses Amerco to point out the increase in valuing work and how this plays into the loss of value of family. She discusses peoples sentiment as to feeling more valued at work then at home ultimately feeling that at times work felt more like home because of they support they received and the control they had over it. Hochschild points out that that instead of the household and work life coming together it has actually become a competition. Hochschild uses four different families including the “haven model”, the “traditional model”, the “no-job weak family” and the “work-family balance model,” and the “reversal model” to show the different shifts in families and how they work. We have all seen the struggle throughout history making it a challenge for parents to balance both their family lives and the workplace. Now with both parents working more often work has taken over family time and is struggle to find a balance. The third shits role makes everything very scheduled in which time with children is more planned and limited using the extra time for work related matters. What I found particularly alarming yet true is entertainments role as an a outlet for the stress that comes up. Its actually quite frightening that instead of dealing with their family issues they watch others. Hochschild also points out the fact that men, who have more power and authority in the workplace are the ones that launch a family- friendly environment which allowes their to be more of a balance for children and they sacrifices they make due t their parents activity in the work environment yet many of them do not take advantage of this.
Chapter 15
Hochschild brings to light the idea of a time bind, the struggle where parents find themselves giving up certain family values and family time for work. She proves this to be a struggle for working families due the increasing demand in the worklplace from individuals. They struggle with the benefits and positives sides from the household as well as the workplace. Hochschild suggests that an option that many overworked and stressed parents are turning to is leaving their children alone as opposed to childcare with the reasoning of promoting indepence. Hochschild does agree that this can pccur but ultimately its just not safe. I know as a child I was never left home alone and I personally do not think is right. This takes away from a critical time where they could be socializing and instead watch tv also giving them freedom to partake in acts that adult supervision would have prevented. Another thing that Hochschild says that parents do is resorting to time-saving goods that speed up the process giving parents more time do more.. Many of this thing I have seen used and never thought about it and though they sound bad they do seem fairly reasonable now that households more and more often have two working parents. I see why people do it but I do think its sad that people feel as if they don’t have enough time to support the family they created. Hochschild also brings up the idea of the potential self and the actual self. Parents though in reality of their actual self and situation are aware of the things they would like to do ad make that clear even if its not feasible as in spending much more time with the family. I think it is good to make these things clear so that the family knows that the parent sees there is an issue and wishes to fix it. Many of the concerns Hochschild brought up are extremely relevant in todays society and though she does not offer a direct solution thinking about these issues especially as working parents is really important.

Maternal Employment and Time with Children: Dramatic Change or Surprising Continuity?

The article by Suzanne Bianchi attempts to understand the possible correlation of recent increase in the labor force by women and the declining time investments in children. Though it is a tricky study Biachis example during the investigation done by Nock and Kingston points out the importance of time as opposed to “quality” time. Though its found that employed mothers spent less time with children than non employed mothers and spent less direct “ quality” time with children. They also found that much of the time non employed mothers spent with their children was not actually devoted to childcare or direct play, but rather time doing household chores. “Non employed mothers spent more than twice as much time per day with their preschoolers, but the difference in time for direct childcare and play/ education was less than one hour.” She also touches on the fact that children are also occupied during the day with school thus working or non working parents are not there with them. I personally was in day care before school and after school but felt I spent a lot of quality time with my mother.
The Career Mystique

The Career Mystique is very noticeable now that I am in college thinking about what I want to do and how I am going to get there. It is defined as “The Career Mystique is the expectation that employees will invest all their time, energy and commitment throughout their “prime” adult years in their jobs, with the promise of moving up in seniority or ascending job ladders” This pretty much summarizes the idea of the American Dream a notion we all strive to live for. The article begins by talking about the lives of Lisa and David, who as an effect of the career mystique have suffered in their personal lives. I enjoyed this example because it seemed so realistic. I think it also brings to light the struggles of change we are going through. With women so active in the work force it seems as if men are unprepared for the demand on both of them to contribute to the household. It also seen in students of this age and the longer rates of schooling that they do. I know personally the idea that more school leads to more success which leads to more money has been engrained in my head. I also know that with success comes time commitment. This is something that concerns me because I feel as if I am working hard to not stress about money but have grown up to vale my role as a mother.

Overworked Individuals or Overworked Families

This article initially explains an idea that these other atciles could agree on, that the demands that individuals faces at work create limits on time with their family. It shows that “too much time at work can undermine personal and family welfare, whereas too little time can endanger a family’s economic security and lower its standard of living.” I think this really makes it clear why this is a struggle because it is almos if there is no solution. I know my mother sacrified getting paid more for working more to spend more time with me giving me aa better relationship with my mom but certainly limiting the things we could do. The article brings two arguments to the table one that we work too much and one that we take to much leisure time. The first thesis is brought about by the increase in annual income and high number of weeks worked. The second thesis is that we are retiring earlier and staying in school longer. The most relevan concern to me was Jacob and Gerson concern about the effects of this on children. Specifically children of single mothers whose income and time is not shared.

Children

Judith Harris argues against what popular theorists say in her article “How to Succeed in Childhood” She suggests that parents do not have a huge impact in the adult their children become. Though she does suggest that the expectations of parents and roles they play have increased it has made little impact on the developing child. She suggests that this time change has also brought a long a stronger influence from peers and society thus impacting the kids greatly. Ultimately suggesting that is normal for a child to adapt to the environment they are put in despite how things are at home Part of me understands what she is saying but I think it really depends on the quality of time a parent shares with their children. I certainly see society and the medias impact on kids and agree that it is powerful. But at least personally I think my mother has been the most influential person and though I may have changed when around my friend or my ideas have swayed because of outside forces my mothers influence has stuck with me in all of those situations and has ultimately had the biggest impact on my decisions the media I pay attention to and my choice of friends.

The “Ask the Children" study touches on the intuition parents feel they have when it comes to their children. Galinsky compares what children were actually hinking to what the parents thought they were thinking through intense research. She gives the children a chance to grade their parents in different aspects. She even researches if they are different sentiments towards mothers who work and home makers ultimately finding that the children feel the same. Though she collects data effectively it is hard to take it seriousely. From a personal standpoint I know as a child I would have ranked my mother a lot lower then because I did not have the ability to see things collectively. If she punished me I probably would have graded her lower. The lack of life experience could really sway what the children say and their mood and current sentiment for their parents as well. Though I do believe that parts of it are true especially in regards to the role child care plays in a child. Galinsky points out that these kids have feelings to and are very aware of it. She found that many parents are unaware of what their children want out of their relationship ultimately finding that quality time was better than time spent partially watching them and partially stressing.

Right of the bat Goldschneider and Waite examine the lack of inequality within the household. Perhaps this caused them to study the domestic chores and what gender and age were doing these tasks. They examine more than the just the “average” family but families with step parents or just one parent. Unlike my mothers generation their findings suggest that children do not on the huge tasks of contributing to the household. Though on average little is done there was a difference between what was asked of boys and girls. It suggest that girls are responsible for the most amount of work and boys the least. And when work is assigned the girls do housework and the boys do yard work. What seems like simple things for parents to ask their children to do is actually shaping their mind as to what their role will be when they get older. This really bothers me. Not only do they build this image but not being asked to do the opposite roles suggests that they have no place doing ultimately discouraging a boy from trying to cook (threat to his masculinity) and narrowing a woman’s worth to cooking (stating that she is not strong enough to do manual labor. The study goes on to suggest that single parent households tend to put less stress on the gender role which I find to be personally true. That is perhaps because my mom did not have the chance to depend on a men to do the manly tasks so she learned to do them herself. Though she might not have had a choice I think in the end it has impacted the way I want my relationship to go in the sense that I will not rely on my husband but will be happy to share all tasks with him. particular task. She goes on to study households with step parents and how this impacts childrens contributions. Ultimately coming up with the older daughters behavior similar to that of a princess. I think this is more of a rebellion thing and perhaps the natural adaptation for someone who has been in a situation the longest and it all of a sudden changes.

Zelizer studies the dramatic change of the perception of children who were once seen practically adults and are now seen as sensitive and innocent little babies. Though for us a childhood is not something that is created she points out that this is not always how it has been. She says that historically children have had a responsibility to their family and frequently worked right there with them. She points out that as individualized on owns own children came about we focused so much on our own that we neglect the whole reason why we nurture. We nurture because they are children and it helps them grow so every child deserves it yet we only give it to ours.Though she stresses this she also says at times they should be treated like adults in the sense that jobs are crucial to teir development not only to prepare them for the real world but to also give them responsibility and a work ethic. The taking aaway of chores might appear to ease the lives of these children but the added stress it adds to the parent who has to do it takes away time from the kid and time to relax which is essential in being a good parent. I agree that kids should have responsibility’s but then the question of getting paid to do something that should be done make sense. I am not exactly sure where I stand on this especially just having focused so much on mothers not being paid for all the work they do. I think what is important is for kids to actuively contribute to the household and if they want something and it is feasible to the familys lifestyle they should get it as long as they also behave (for the most part) and do well in school.

Fathering

The Absent Black Father
Dorothy Roberts writes The Absent Black Father to highlight the lack of presence of black males She suggests that because of this all pressure is put onto the mothers’, causing the definition of motherhood to be much broader. Roberts starts off suggesting the importance of two parents in children’s lives, ultimately suggesting that a huge reason for problems in society has steamed from the absence or lack of involvement of black fathers. Roberts points out the repeating pattern of the absent black father in black families. This lack of presence results in the mother taking on an abundance of roles that should be shared with two people. This setup is unlike most that we are used to seeing. Though many times the emotional contributions of a father are not emphasized their financial contributions are. They are typically seen as breadwinners yet are not even present to contribute that. It is expected of the male to contribute and also expose the children to a world of business ultimately encouraging them to take on the roles that he now holds. This serves as a huge challenge for black men because of their lower contributions that take away from their expected goals as a father. Being unable to fulfill this role might cause them to stay away completely. Roberts accredits much of this problem to our society’s inability to pay black men the proper wages and even hire them as well. One thing that particularly bothered me was the governments push for marriage. Though there is supposed to be a separation of church and state the government still found it acceptable to create a program that give mothers monetary rewards for marrying. In a way this implies that a child can only be raised by two parents and in other words questions the capability of a woman. The program only encourages married couple and refuses to contribute to unmarried woman who lives with the working father of her child, I think it is a shame that they could push their preferences and reward those who follow. Especially coming from a single mother who has struggled and down it by herself. I think that should be awarded.

No Man’s Land
Gersons’ article discusses the evolvement of men as fathers. Gerson begins with the image of the breadwinner and though men are known for this she also discusses women’s financial contributions Though we cannot deny a women’s contributions its still socially hard to accept because it threatens men’s contributions to the family. Through time Gerson shows that women of different backgrounds have gone on to take many roles. With all this being known Gerson specifically focuses on the success of women in comparison to the less need of the fatherly role. Which ultimately threatens their masculinity. This has forced us all to truly look at for the appropriate definition of manhood serving as an even harder task for men, Though the roles have started to balance as far as financial contributions the role for domestic contributions has not. Women are now in positions where they contribute twice as much. With the lack of equality increasing it is hard to not connect that with the increase of divorce rates. With the new found independence for women men are finding themselves discouraged in a women’s need for them ultimately connecting with the rates of marriage at an older age for men. I respect Gersons perspective because instead of looking at men and women as black and white she sees that it is not that simple and questions the individual instead.
The Myth of Masculinity
In The Myth of Masculinity Gerson interconnects the changes in workplace opportunities, and relationships with children. Gerson highlights the struggle that men endure in redefining themselves as well as adjusting to the broader redefinition of a society they are not used to. This serves as a challenge because they have been taught the opposite growing up and seen the opposite in the actions of their fathers, uncles, and grandfathers. These boys build their image of masculinity around the men they see. Gerson makes sure to not completely categorize and still as in the other article stress the importance of individuals. With this being said Gerson says that due to the loosely termed word masculinity we cannot accredit to the reason men are the way they are and are the fathers they are. Though this new society is in search for the definition it is important for men to keep things into perspective and not do the minimal but realize their role is a father entails a lot.
Having it all:
Deutsch’s article focuses on working couples relationship in the household. Deutsch credits the balance of responsibilities in this type of family to the need for balance. Housework and responsibilities are expected from both and would not be possible without both. With the common concept that it takes a family to raise a child it only seems logical for both parents to have a major role. Though childcare is a common resource for working parents she stresses the importance of finding the time to actively participate in the development of the child. Though there is a clear change in the emotional roles of men with their children there is not much change for women because they have always contributed so much. Women have always contributed so much to the emotional aspect of the child’s development and even before they began working it was clear the house would not be run without them. What’s tricky about this situation is men’s tendency to lean on what we have all accepted as the mother’s major role and still not split the roles evenly.

Mothering

Introduction:

 

In Ann Crittenden piece she uses the famous book “The Giving Tree " to exemplify a mothers ability to constantly make sacrifices. The book ends with the last line saying “and the tree was happy.” I think this is so significant to her comparison. This comparison implies that it is in a mother’s nature to give and ultimately the giving makes them happy. She defines the word mother as a “selfless service to one another.”

Taking on the perspective of motherhood in America give it an interesting and in the case more applicable feel; stating that “motherhood is and American as apple pie” Though this job many times goes completely unrecognized it is certainly well supported that many of the improvements we have seen in society relating to people have been pushed by mothers due to their “unique moral authority.” She discusses the increase in appreciation but still makes it clear that we are not even close to realizing how important a mother’s role really is. She quotes famous economist Lawrence Summers on his input on raising children due the significant number of capital that is brought in through human skills ultimately showing that raising children is the most important task.  As we all know being a stay at home mom is often referred to as doing nothing. People simple mindedly look at this task and wonder why both working full time as well as cleaning cannot be done. How complex could that question really be? Yes someone do it. Through continuing reading it becomes more and more evident that a stay at home mom does not just clean and watch soaps all day but has a full list of responsibilities including positively influencing there child. The cook and clean and nurture so in simply words they are the providers. They provide emotional support a meal on the table and most importantly the nurture and compassion children need starting from a young age. In my opinion the hardest part of the lack of appreciation of being a stay at home mom comes from the children. Though we cannot blame them seeing as society puts it into their head a series of sacrifices made for someone to have them simplify your life to “just a housewife” must hurt. But instead of getting mad it is clear that mothers just like the “Giving Tree” continually give learning to live without what they want as long as the child benefits. A deeper part of the problem is the thought that “time spent with one’s child is time wasted.” is a major part of the problem as well.  Taking the physical and or emotional time off for caring for ones own child can truly set back a working woman especially in this fast paced society. Studies show that the result of child rearing takes an affect in the work place, leaving during certain periods leads to less experience ultimately leading to a better-suited candidate. By using different examples she conveys that America’s main sentiment towards family may not really be regarded that highly seeing, as we don’t help to foster it. In this sense I completely agree and am amazed by its hypocrisy. Though laws forbid unequal treatment over men and women, parenting/motherhood clearly takes a role in the workplace yet is frequently unsupported due to inflexible hours. It is most clear the lack of appreciation for a women’s work at home through the governments own assessment on divorce when including a stay at home mom. I suppose it is tricky to decide how much she would deserve but giving the man more money (because he physically earned it) implies that feeding a child is more important than nurturing it.  The fact is this is most relevant to women seeing as “almost 100% of the primary caregivers of young children are still women. Once again she shows the kind heartedness of many mothers by comparing it to the “Giving Tree” because though there is a lack of appreciation they still do it, because its not about that its about the outcome. She concludes the introduction with a short story on her own experience of being perceived after having a child ultimately stating “after fighting hard to win respect in the workplace, women had yet to win respect for their work at home.

Wage Penalty:

Michelle Budig and Paula England got into great depth to describe the “association between motherhood and lower wages.” by examining data and coming up with statistics to support these believable ideas. Using Waldfogels study (’68-’88) she determines that there is “a wage penalty of 6 percent for mothers with once child and 13 percent for mothers with two or more children. Though this data proves to be very useful Budig and England decide to go deeper and provide even more information. Similar to the previous article they research the job options available to women. It is clear that any job will not due for a working mother. Will the job allow them to take sick time or at times make personal calls during work hours; are they expected to work overtime? These “mother friendly jobs” are hard to find. And with a job with so much benefit what are women losing? Lower wages to support the children they are getting this type of job for? They go one to discuss single mothers ultimately relating it to the gap in poverty with two person households. With all the “penalties” of motherhood is it enough to know that the work of a mother positively affects society. Is bringing home money more important than supporting the development of a child? Is this even a choice for a lot of women or must they do both? Beyond not getting paid it is clear that “mothers pay a price in lowered wages for child rearing” Though we know parenting is a two person job studies show that there is no financial penalty in their wages and some instance increase. But ultimately picking the job with lower wages in order to secure time, as a mother is a sacrifice many women do. Budig and England simplify the 5 reasons motherhood coincides with lower wages. Reason number 1: spending time at home with child pulls them away from work. So while others are improving in their professional field mothers are not around. Reason number 2: Seek mother friendly jobs to not overload themselves. Reason number 3: Less productive because they stretch themselves out multiple ways. Reason number 4: Discrimination. Reason number 5: Child bearing does not correlate with career ambition. I found this article to be really interesting because the stats and subject matter were so relatable. Some information was hard to take seriously because throughout the article they state certain things as facts without proving (i.e. women do most of the work of child rearing.) These social facts took away a lot from an article that was supposed to proving things statistically. Though I did not like this part the stats were easy to follow along with and applicable to the topic of motherhood. Ultimately both articles had a lot in common as far as information to walk away with. They have both well supported the idea that it is not the same for mothers in the workplace and that they are completely underappreciated. I think that Budig and England’s research does a good job of validating the possible reasons of a lower wage. Though that might seem disrespectful I think it makes women more honorable because even if there performance might not be exactly the same these women still handle the challenges of work while raising children to positively impact the world.  

 

Black Women and Motherhood:

 

This article sat right in with me. Seeing as I have come from a black mother and will eventually be a black mother. Coming from a single-family household in many ways I was able to relate to this article.  Patricia Hill Collins brings light to the efforts and significance black women have specifically mothers in the Black American community. The first main idea she brings up is the "superstrong Black mother" in a society where they are painted as bad mothers. She goes on to explain the historical significance explaining that past and present black women have always put their needs second. This to me really connects with roles taken in slavery. Though in many situations women were disrespected and abused they put that all behind them and continued to work hard all with the inspiration of keeping there family together. What was so interesting to me was the concept that “many Black men who praise their own mothers feel less accountable to the mothers of their daughters and sons. To me this idea is horrifying. It actually brings me back to the idea of the “Giving Tree” in which the little boy takes grows older and takes to ultimately end up being old and still taking! Though on the trees part it’s a beautiful thing it somehow comments on some (men) to learn to be grown and be the ones giving to keep the cycle going.  Though I think a mans appreciation for his mother is crucial this should inspire him to see the beauty of his child’s relationship with his mother. Is being too loving and providing ultimately hurting these men? Without the support of the man that made the child with you it must be beyond exhausting to always stay happy. Drawing right back to the idea of black women’s roles in slavery never supported but always supporting. I think what is applicable to both white and black mothers is the forbiddingness to talk about these stresses. If people think it is easy to have a career and maintain a household why should they complain? But is certainly not that simple. Collins points out the pros and cons of being a black mother discussing the idea that learn about themselves and establish their identity yet during this process suppress their feelings and thoughts.

Collins explains the need for community by saying "because all children must be fed, clothed, and educated, if their biological parents could not discharge these obligations, then some other member of the community should accept that responsibility." Ultimately applying to the idea of one person raising a child because it is a two-person job. This really relates to how my own mother said she was raised. Growing up in Ethiopia a country where community means a lot and they have that it takes a village to raise a child. Collins goes on to analyze the also crucial relationship between mother and daughter. She discusses the struggle for black mothers and what to stress in their daughters lives. Through all three articles it becomes more and more evident that the struggles mothers endure are indescribable. This article touches on the fact that races' own history can play so much into this struggle and ultimately make it more challenging. 

Women as Fathers:

 

 This article differs from the previous ones because unlike the other ones it describes the roles of motherhood as ones that scientifically exist as opposed to being taken on. It discuss’ societies focus on the father due to the patriarchal society we come from. It all really starts form day one when children take their fathers last name and claim it as their own despite the fact that the mother just held the child for the past 9 months going through constant ups and downs, pain, and emotion.  Rothman argues despite the assumption that both parties are tied (genetically) with their children she says that it is not that way at all. She thinks that with that 9 month relationship inherently creates a stronger relationship. She questions technologies role in disturbing this connection with ideas such as surrogate mothers that take away from the genetic bond that occurs between a child and its mother with things such as nanny’s and childcare taking away from it. I do not necessarily agree with her views simply because I do not necessarily think it is as genetic as it a social issue. In all the readings we have done women have always been the nurturers and though I do not disregard that there is a connection grown in that 9 months I think many times even in this day age men and women put themselves into the mindset that men are financial providers and women provide emotionally.

 

 

From Marriage to the Market

In Susan Thistle’s From Marriage to Work Thistle analyzes the role of both White and African American woman in the work force. She discuses the hierarchy of financial power by creating a totem pole with white men at the top and black women at the bottom. Though white women might seem to go before black woman it is apparent that men, both White and Black, controlled the lives of their wives. It has always been socially expected no matter what the woman’s financial contribution was for them to have the responsibility of domestic chores and childcare. She goes over different historical events and the changes in our economy and what roles women played in that; briefly discussing WWII’s affect on the roles that had previously confined women to domestic work and its dramatic change. Though she discusses women’s roles an their similarities across the country she makes it clear that there that African American women and White women had different difficulties balancing domestic tasks with paid work. Though the market began to boom and women had a more active role these domestic tasks did not increase. The most prevalent example of race is used in the explanation of Black women’s responsibilities in slavery and even their access to tools and appliances to make things easier.

She goes on to further discuss the impact of certain tecnological advances. Impacting society both positively and negatively ultimately linking it to the “reproductive side of women’s labor. Though the idea of working women becomes more comfortable it becomes apparent that the more women contributed tension grew because of the men’s insecurity about their own personal contributions to the family. Many women even began to postpone starting families to avoid the conflict. As time progresses women’s domestic abilities are no longer the main sought out quality for marriage and true love becomes the most important thing.

In Davis’ Wives and Work he goes in detail about the Sex Role Revolution. He right off the bat highlights the changes between parental and marital relations through the increase of women in the workplace. His data on higher developed countries correlation with women in the work force in my opinion suggests the progression and open mindedness of these places such as the US. He further researches this by studying age, finding that in an increase in women goes hand in hand with the trend of less elderly people working ultimately figuring out that most women work during their “prime reproductive stage.” It is evident that the creation of childcare has played a major role in allowing women to be actively participating in the work force. He goes back to the Industrial Revolution and its initial dependence on the work each family members contribution to the household. Eventually turning into a development of machinery and goods and increasing the economy. What Davis does not deny changing over time is the dual responsibility of women at home and work. He connects divorce rates to women’s new role, which ultimately makes sense because of the newfound independence and financial security.

Women as Fathers:

 

 This article differs from the previous ones because unlike the other ones it describes the roles of motherhood are ones that scientifically exist as opposed to being taken on. It discuss’ societies focus on the father due to the patriarchal society we come from. It all really starts form day one when children take their fathers last name and claim it as their own despite the fact that the mother just held the child for the past 9 months going through constant ups and downs, pain, and emotion.  Rothman argues despite the assumption that both parties are tied (genetically) with their children she says that it is not that way at all. She thinks that with that 9 month relationship inherently creates a stronger relationship. She questions technologies role in disturbing this connection with ideas such as surrogate mothers that take away from the genetic bond that occurs between a child and its mother with things such as nanny’s and childcare taking away from it. I do not necessarily agree with her views simply because I do not necessarily think it is as genetic as it a social issue. In all the readings we have done women have always been the nurturers and though I do not disregard that there is a connection grown in that 9 months I think many times even in this day age men and women put themselves into the mindset that men are financial providers and women provide emotionally.