Essay On Dual Earner Families

The evolution of the American workforce has undergone drastic change. In the past forty years the number of children with both of their parents working has climbed from 37 percent to 66 percent (Fox, Han, Ruhm, & Waldfogel, p. 26, 2012). Although couples continue to voluntarily decide to become dual-earner families, many other couples who would otherwise have one person working, have no other choice but to both work in order to support themselves. Regardless of whether a family decides to voluntarily become a dual-earner family, both mothers and fathers face unique dilemmas when trying to balance their role as an employer, spouse, and parent. Therefore, it is essential that families and employers communicate with one another to ensure …show more content…
In order to reduce the complications of being a dual-earner family, couples should start by reducing their gender ideologies to create solutions that best satisfy one’s marital needs (Minnotte et al., 2013, p. 687). A possible way to address this could be through parenting classes geared towards fathers to help them become more comfortable in caring for the children (Bass et al., p. 212, 2009). Additionally, not only must couples take action to create a better balance between work and family, but employers should make considerations as well. By allowing employees to have more flexibility in their jobs, dual-earner couples would have lower levels of work-family conflict, as well as be better able to plan in the event of a family emergency (Bass et al., p. 211, 2009). Finally, after reviewing the literature on work-family conflict, I believe another possible suggestion could be for families to set aside at least one night each week where the family partakes in a particular activity together. Additionally, couples should set aside time together at least once a month in order to strengthen their