Page 405 - Sociology and You

Chapter 11 The Family 375
their jobs and their desire to spend more time with their children and husbands. Feelings of guilt may arise from not being able to meet all expectations of wife, mother, and breadwinner.
Men in dual-employed marriages are generally unwilling to assume household responsibilities equal to those of their wives. Even so, they feel the nega- tive effects of role conflict and excessive demands on their time. In addition, having an employed wife, particularly if she earns more, may not fit with men’s images of themselves as providers.
Is there a positive side to dual employ-
ment? Dual employment offers advantages as
well as disadvantages. On balance, the effects of
employment on the psychological well-being of
women have been beneficial (Moen, 1992; Crosby,
1993; Cox, 1999). Working outside the home pro-
vides a wider set of social relationships and
greater feelings of control, independence, and self-
esteem. Employment also appears to provide a so-
cial and emotional cushion for women when their
children leave home. Compared with women who
do not work outside the home, employed women
tend to have more outlets for self-expression
(Adelmann et al., 1989; Wolfe, 1998). If a mother
prefers working outside the home, other family
members often benefit from her employment. With
two incomes, there is more money to spend for
purchases that raise the standard of living. Sons and daughters of work- ing mothers also benefit in noneconomic ways. Daughters of working mothers are more likely to see themselves as working adults, as capable of being economically independent, and as benefiting from further edu- cation. Sons are more likely to choose wives with similar attitudes toward education and employment.
For men, benefits of a dual-employed marriage include freedom from the responsibility of being the sole provider, increased opportunity for job changes, and opportunities to continue education. Men with employed wives can share the triumphs and defeats of the day with someone who is in the same situation. If their wives are happier working outside the home, hus- bands enjoy a better marital relationship. Those husbands who take advan- tage of the opportunity can form a closer relationship with their children by being more active parents (Booth and Crouter, 1998).
Cohabitation
Cohabitation—living with someone in a marriagelike arrangement with- out the legal obligations and responsibilities of formal marriage—has been a widely discussed alternative to traditional monogamy for some time. In fact, the number of American adults cohabiting increased from about one-half million to over seven million between 1970 and 2000. According to a nationwide
A functionalist might suggest that this mother’s economic function is clashing with her socioemotional function.
cohabitation
a marriagelike living arrangement without the legal obligations and responsibilities of formal marriage