This week’s chapter described the second shift, which involves the housework women complete after their first shift of paid employment. I first learned about the second shift in my intro to sociology class, it explained that women spend more time doing household chores than men. It is no surprise that often women focused on the private sphere as they were expected to clean and care for children. Whereas, men worked for wages in the public sphere to support their family financially. By doing this, men fulfilled their family obligations. This belief has been widely held for years, men feel a sense of completion if they can financially support his family, once this role has been fulfilled, the contribution to household chores was not expected.
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For high-income families, the problem is too much work, they work longer hours and have less time to spend with their family at home. For lower-income families, the problem is too little work, which leaves families economically vulnerable. Additionally, middle-income families face jobs that offer little to no flexibility, requires mandatory overtime on short notice, and the salary is not enough to support a family unless two parents-families work full time. I personally agree with this as my family and I try to manage time and divide the work between the three to care for my younger brothers. For instance, whenever they work overtime and can’t pick my brothers up from school I must pick them up, and when my brothers’ school is closed and my parents can’t take the day off from work, I must stay with them at home. For that reason, I agree that balancing work and family is difficult especially when the economy is not at its best.
Overall, gender inequalities in housework have persisted throughout the years, parents often face difficulties when trying to balance employment and care responsibilities, which may have negative effects such as less focus on children’s schoolwork or the decrease in their well-being that results from having jobs with inadequate pay. It is evident that family work is highly influenced by gender and social class, which creates challenges for the families and causes them to feel
For high-income families, the problem is too much work, they work longer hours and have less time to spend with their family at home. For lower-income families, the problem is too little work, which leaves families economically vulnerable. Additionally, middle-income families face jobs that offer little to no flexibility, requires mandatory overtime on short notice, and the salary is not enough to support a family unless two parents-families work full time. I personally agree with this as my family and I try to manage time and divide the work between the three to care for my younger brothers. For instance, whenever they work overtime and can’t pick my brothers up from school I must pick them up, and when my brothers’ school is closed and my parents can’t take the day off from work, I must stay with them at home. For that reason, I agree that balancing work and family is difficult especially when the economy is not at its best.
Overall, gender inequalities in housework have persisted throughout the years, parents often face difficulties when trying to balance employment and care responsibilities, which may have negative effects such as less focus on children’s schoolwork or the decrease in their well-being that results from having jobs with inadequate pay. It is evident that family work is highly influenced by gender and social class, which creates challenges for the families and causes them to feel