BLOG #4

In my personal belief  I think the characteristics of a good family life is in some part stability to have time to care for your family. I think that Love is in fact the most important characteristic in a family following values, communication, trust and loyalty. At some point it is very difficult to continue making those in your family feel love and giving them the attention  they need especially in today's lifestyle. The challenge  then comes in how to balance a career and family. It is not just dedicated a certain amount of time to one thing and another set of time to another. It is trying be dedicated to both environments but not put your career above your family. The NPR " Creative Tips for Balancing Work, Family Life"  states that high profile businessman are now resigning their jobs.  However, many of us do not have the luxury to do this. It is necessary to make ways in which we can dedicate more time to our family , this being by asking for certain days off, dedicating time to soccer games, or simply having a conversation with our family and becoming more interested in the involvement of each individual. It is a matter of dedication to make those close to us happy and fulfill in being in a family. I find this very important. There is a need to make those around us happy especially family.  The video conducted by Cornell University the speaker gave very detailed examples of the "choices" she had to make in order to make her daughter feel she was being supported even though she did not traditionally bake cookies for a bake sale.  This then leads to a "guilt"  for working and not being the typical stay at home mom that does everything. It can also be challenging if their is a need. I know a lot of women that feel very sad leaving their children to go to work but they have to in order to survive and continue to care for them. Often necessity makes mothers feel guilty for not having everything to give to their children, even time.

Gender roles have made work and family issues a bit more complex because they have not only made life a bit more complex due to making women feel a bit guilty for not completing their traditional "duties" because not only they have to be the bread winners but also the sole distributers and organizers of the home. In some ways this has somewhat force husbands and others close to the women that works manage things a bit more easier. Now not only are women those that have to do chores around the house it is almost everyone that helps out. For example my mom works in the morning and runs her company at night, my father is usually the one that cooks for my siblings and tries to keep the house in order, however, when my mom is off she usually still not only does what my dad does everyday around the house but also finds new things to do now that my dad helps a bit more. Women at work have caused a type of revolution in the sense that it has revolutionized the norm of what is expected of a women.

However, there is also what some call the Employers pushdown revolution were women are push down by societies norms and get no support from employers. Instead women making  revolution by working more there is revolution by employers in not sustaining and not being supportive towards women. In the video it was discussed that there is a 20% of women that  live in poverty even if the numbers have increased of women at work. It was also shocking to hear that a  "society that impoverish their mothers impoverish their children" . It is still important and there is a need for better workplace flexibility programs. Women need to feel secure in their jobs or careers if they need time to be with their family a bit more or simply need some time to do whatever is needed. What the UK does with the CARE program that enables women to have some time of leave and feel secure that they can have their job back I found this idea a very positive. The video stated that it not only make the women feel more dedicated to her career or job but makes her feel more comfortable. There is no doubt that we as a society need to stop complaining about women issues and look at these issues as a human and necessary issues. The need of childcare, transportation, education, income are all in the list in my eyes a necessary need of change. Those being affected are children and we need to think of them too by doing so we will not only change the economical state of them but their educational and their generation and society.