1. In my immediate family, I have not really experienced much carework. As I mentioned in my previous blog, my dad became a stay at home dad when I was a little kid. Then, when my brother was born, he started working nights in order to stay home with us. Other than that, we have been fortunate enough to not have to care for anyone that is sick/elderly yet. However, I was able to see the affects that carework for an elder family member has on a family. My uncle was in charge of taking care of my great-grandmother as she became progressively more ill. He ended up having to quit his job, and their family literally had nothing to live on. Basically, he lucked out when she left her entire estate to him. It was just enough to get him out of the whole he created trying to care for her. The lack of money greatly affected his children and his marriage. I wish that his job had had the opportunity for him to take of work for awhile, and re-arrange his schedule because I think it would have been a lot easier for everyone involved.
2. I love the efforts that are being made in the UK for women who want to come into the work force after having children. What I hate, is that people say that having children is a lifestyle choice that women make! I feel like if they want children, there is no other choice but to bear the children themselves. It is not like they can pawn the job off on their husbands. And the truth is, most people want to have children, and want to add to the next generation. So calling it a “lifestyle choice” is a little bit of a stretch. I think this is why I love what the UK is trying to do. I think it is great that they support families. Basically, the US does not support families because having a family is a lifestyle choice. Even though in the past, having a family was what women were supposed to do. The UK hit it on the head with offering the flexible schedules, and the leave of absences to take care of children or ill family members. I think they are right, it will create more loyalty. People always want to feel like someone cares and it seems like these companies really do.
Society needs to reconstruct their notions of women’s work because if they leave it as just domestic work, they are leaving out a whole array of other jobs they do now. Women do everything now. They do not only have a home, husband and kids to take care of, but they also have their own careers to worry about. Personally, I do not feel like we should label it women’s work and men’s work. I feel like this because the jobs they do overlap with each other now. Women are taking on many “male” jobs, and men are taking on several “female” jobs. I feel that it is harder now to make a distinction between the two.
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I absolutely agree that the U.K. is right on the money when it comes to work and family. They are realistic and thus they are making it possible for men and women to be working and caregiving adults. We are human and it is in our nature to help those in need more so our family and friends. I don't understand why we are the most powerful and wealthiest nation yet we are failing to maintain one of the most fundamental values intact and that is our family values. Corporate America expects 100% out of you each day that you are at work and why shouldn't the family and our children not only expect the same but deserve the same.
ReplyDeleteWe have become such a materialistic society that people today define themselves by what they have resulting in having to work more hours to maintain such lifestyle. By doing so, we are cheating our children of the true meaning of life. Life is not about what we have or don't have because afterall, we can take anything with us when we leave. We really need to refocus our efforts on raising and caring for our children because if we don't do it ourselves someone is going to do it for us and it may very well end up being the juvenile correctional facility.