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What are some of the difficulties women and men face when combining paid work and family roles? How could these be alleviated?

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January Goklish-Stevens

January Goklish-Stevens4:55pmJul 21 at 4:55pm

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What are some of the difficulties women and men face when combining paid work and family roles? How could these be alleviated?

There are many difficulties for women and men when combining paid work and family roles. One is how it affects health and role strain occurs because the working adult is tapped from the many responsibilities. Women tend to struggle with the high demands associated with raising a family and balancing a working career more so than men. There is also a stigma associated with working moms in that they are viewed as, “less competent parents,” when choosing to work because of personal choice rather than from necessity (Helgeson, 2017, p. 583). Family stress, family responsibilities interfering with work, and conflict is, “associated with lower job satisfaction” (Helgeson, 2017, p. 584). Much of this can be alleviated by dual income households discussing the challenges, considering each other’s roles and demands and what that means to the woman and the man and finding solutions on who is going to do what, be flexible, supportive, and understanding of one another in how the household is going to run with family and work obligations. Additionally, employers are recognizing these strains and finding ways to better support families. Employers can provide mental health resources (short term-free of charge), provide day care or even mobile medical clinics in ease of convenience, provide flexible work hours, company party’s and picnics that are family friendly, provide family leave and other family friendly policies.

References:

Helgeson, V. S. (2017). Psychology of Gender (5th. ed.). Routledge, New York, N.Y.

Rochelle StumphYesterdayJul 20 at 8:27pm

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What are some of the difficulties women and men face when combining paid work and family roles? How could these be alleviated?

Women and men face many difficulties when combining paid work and family roles. They may have differing views about roles and responsibilities at home and work. These could be alleviated by making compromises, giving up some of the traditional views of gender roles, and choosing jobs that allow for some flexibility. Even if men and women desire to keep the traditional roles, most families now require two incomes. Women usually make the sacrifices by choosing to work part-time or lower paying jobs that can accommodate their schedule needs. Realistically, either parent can choose to cut back hours or find more flexible schedules. When both men and women are committed to heavy workloads, family roles can be devalued. This the point when families need to step back and evaluate their priorities. If the family roles are complicating the work roles, perhaps one or both parents need to seek help from other family members or check into resources such after school care. If the work roles are complicating the family roles, the parents need to set boundaries or limits with their employment. For example, parents may find it helpful to choose hourly work versus on-call or salary work while their children require a lot of care. Communicating with the employer clear boundaries, including availability, would allow for less interrupted family time.

Women face specific challenges when combining work and family roles. Employers have a double standard; they view mothers as less desirable as employees while having a family is viewed positively for a father. This leaves mothers with the unfair burden of needing to prove their competency as employees. Women need to know their rights in the workplace and have a good understanding of FMLA. These laws protect jobs when a medical leave is necessary to provide care for a child. Women face discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Women need to understand the laws and policies that protect against such acts. There is a gender pay disparity; women make about 83% of men’s pay. It is important that women know the competitive pay rate for their career. If they are not making comparative pay to men in their places of employment, that needs to be addressed with the administrators. Companies that value their employees will ensure that equal pay is established.

Helgeson, V. S. (2016). Psychology of Gender: Fifth Edition (5th ed.). Routledge.

Edited by Rochelle Stumph on Jul 20 at 8:28pm

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