Reading Guide Chapters 6 7 8 9 Lectures weeks 7 10 Tests can be cumulative go over Test 1 Material Chapter 6 Meshing of the Worlds of Work and Family Trends in women s employment and labor force participation and reasons increased participation of women in market work women now make up 47 of workforce more than 2 3 married women ages 25 to 64 are in the workforce women s labor force participated has grown at faster rate than men s 2x as fast as men African American women high workplace participation rates much greater rates of increase have occurred among White Asian Latina women Businesses are now and will continue to be dependent on the labor of millions of women Dual earner families now outnumber breadwinner homemaker family by more than 2 1 Women s employment patterns are different from men more of women s work is part time part year or both is more often interrupted to care for ill aged or young family members Women men are differentiated by what they do in the labor market the sectors of the economy in which they perform their work limits women s earning abilities Rapid rise in percentage of married women w children in paid labor force Causes of increased labor force participation 1 large scale changes in US economy have pulled women into labor force 2 families have become dependent on women s income 3 women themselves find fulfillment in working 1 Changes in Economy transition from a manufacturing to a service economy which creates a labor market w more of the jobs that are traditionally hired by women direct consequence of structural changes in economy 2 Decline in Real Earnings economic needs of families themselves have pushed many women into paid work inflation deflation unemployment shrinking wages eroded buying power of male wage have made 2 incomes crucial for maintaining household male family wage no longer a reality social climate of rising expectations for material goods has pressured some women to increase their work hours 3 Personal Fulfillment women want to be rewarded for their work gives them pride worth identity allows for some economic independence from men also work bc they realize it is in their best long term interest Economy still restricts women s employment in several ways female jobs are less likely to be employed problems in securing child care scheduling difficulties employers seeks workforce flexibility Trends in the employment and labor force participation of men and reasons labor force participation rates among men have edged down gradually from 83 to 72 in 2009 declines steeper for African Americans than for White men w Hispanic men more likely to be in labor force than White or Black men Declines in white men importantly due to lower age of retirement Declines for minorities due to discouraged worker effect the unemployed dropping out of labor force after an unsuccessful period of job search on prime working age males Causes of Decreased Labor Force Participation affected by 3 macro level trends 1 structural unemployment 2 redistribution of jobs 3 low income generating capacity jobs Changes in Economy advances in technology shift from manufacturing to services information have had serious consequences in industrial work finding their skills unneeded women have better luck finding keeping jobs bc of growth in service sector where majority of workers is female industries hard hit by recession construction agriculture manufacturing one of the fastest growing occupations for men is sales One result of men s lower earnings women s greater economic self sufficiency is an increasing number of single parent families unmarried mothers may be unwilling to marry men who cannot provide economic stability blow to men s good provider role Trends in teen employment trends difficult to track youth today work more than they did in the past steep decline in teen s participation since 2000 holds true in both summer months school year contemporary youth less likely to be employed those who are work fewer hours than in past Formal employment rates fell since adolescents do freelance work casual as needed basis child labor laws work that goes underreported labor force tied to job opportunities provided by service economy top 5 industries employing teens 1 eating drinking places 2 grocery stores 3 miscellaneous entertainment services 4 construction 5 department stores One of the principal explanations for teen s decreased labor force participation is related to education enrolled in school less likely to be employed than those not in school decreased labor force participation reflects higher educational attainment likely hood of teen employment related both to social class race teens of higher income families much more likely to be employed than youth in lower income families have reliable transportation also more likely to be employed than adolescents of color Jobs provide opportunities to learn life skills enhance autonomy may interfere w schoolwork undermine parental authority as teens become more economically self sufficient long hours in unsupervised or hazardous work settings do not promote positive adolescent development limited hours in a safe supervised work setting provide a favorable context for learning about the demands of employment the role of workers positive work experience may promote responsibility self respect for working teens Work family interference refers to the ways in which the connections between jobs and family life may be a source of tension for workers family members Spillover positive and negative one of the ways work family relationships are expressed the transfer of moods feelings behaviors between work and family settings can be positive or negative Researchers find that work to family spillover is more negative and more common than family to work spillover gendered phenomenon with men s stress more likely to affect their family life and women s family stress more likely to affect their work life Work family role system Family workplace impose uneven demands on women men women s demands are higher overall working mother more likely than father to care for family emergencies husbands work role takes priority over family role women s and men s uneven relationship to work and family work family role system system represents a partial reinforces the traditional division of labor in both work and family also ensures that wives employment does not affect their core responsibilities for housework and child care employed wives generally