EmmOvin-Changes in the American family

7. February 2012 by student.

There have been many changes that have taken place in the American family in the early twenty-first century that have affected the balance of power between women and men. According to Cherlin (2010), century ago it was uncommon for married women to work outside the home, but now things have changed. Women have become independent because they do not have to rely on their husbands as they used to.  Although wives still do more domestic work in marriages than their husbands, substantial change has occurred (p. 256). In order for husbands and wives to have a healthy marriage, they must be able to balance their professional career as well as their personal lives. Furthermore, Amato (2007) conducted a survey and found 16 percent of wives said that their husbands did no housework compared with 29 percent in the 1980 and 2000. Meantime, more and more wives have said their husband share 50 percent or more of the housework, which is amazing. I understand that a century ago husbands used to work longer hours in the farm.  As a result, they were exhausted, and discouraged to do any work around the house. Today, this fact should not give husbands any reasons not to share the housework with their wives, especially if their wives are working or have children. I think husbands would make things smoother if they help their wives with the housework. It is often said, “A happy wife is a happy life” so if the husbands want a happy life, they must make their wives happy.

Posted in Social Problems | 1 Comment »