The biggest problems that are created from “urban poverty” for poor working mothers stems from being isolated in the inner-city with no way out (Putting Children First, pg 128). With people leaving the inner-city for better job opportunities and to get away from the violence that is associated with inner-cities it causes the people who are still there to have to make do with what is left. While some people are able to escape to a more affluent life by leaving the poverty ridden streets, others are left there to fend for themselves. This tends to cause the community to be full of crime and violence. Take Jessica, for example, she is living in low income housing and will not lower herself to move into “Section 8” public housing. As it is, she is living in a dangerous neighborhood where she cannot allow her children to go outside and play. This in turn leads her to put more pressure on her kids to succeed in life and to do better in school so they will have more options available to them. When things are really tough and there is not enough food to feed her and her four kids Jessica does not tell her kids why she is not eating (7 Days @ Minimum Wage, part 1).
Poor women living in mixed income neighborhoods have some advantages, but not many. Iris drives a bus full-time and does janitorial work as a second job (American Low Wage Workers’ Tour). Before she became part of the union she received no benefits and got no sick day leave. In a job where she is working around kids all day she was exposed to the same colds and viruses that the kids were and she was getting sick frequently. Iris said in her interview on “American Low Wage Workers’ Tour” that the “system was not equal” and that people who deserved the job where passed over for others that were not qualified or did not have seniority. The situation with Erin, a young women living with her parents, is not much better. She works long hours at a local grocery store to make up for the low pay she gets. She strives to make it from one day to the next. Erin is in a tough place because she does not know what she wants to be in life. For now, she is just getting by (7 Days @ Minimum Wage, Erin – Day 2).
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Blog #7 Child Care Stability
Julia faces many challenges while trying to find stable child care for her young daughter Jacqueline. These are challenges that millions of others are trying to overcome as well. After the birth of Jacqueline, Julia had the right mindset: go back to school, make something of herself, and support her family. Unfortunately, she was faced with one obstacle after another and ended up dropping out of school. Jacqueline’s father was able to watch the two young girls while Julia went to school, but after the two broke up and the father moved out Julia had lost her child care. Next, Julia’s sister, Izzy, moved in with her and for a while this was an ideal situation. Julia was able to still go to school while her sister watched the girls. With no money coming in and mouths that needed to be feed both girls started working at a Burger Shop. This situation did not help Julia out. Now that Izzy was working she could not watch the kids and Julia could not work because she had the kids and because if she worked too many hours she would lose her Public Assistance. Not only did Julia lose her child care provider, but she also had to drop out of school.
Julia was finally able to get into the Welfare to Work Program (WEP). Julia started to work internships in the hopes of finding full time employment. One of the benefits of the WEP program was child care subsidies. One might think that this would make all of Julia’s problems disappear, but it just added to them. Julia lost jobs and missed work because her child care checks would come late or come in the wrong amount of money (Putting Children First, pg 88). Julia was forced to go down to the offices to talk with her caseworker on numerous occasions to fix the problem. By then it was too late and Julia was in search of someone else to watch Jacqueline.
The factors that contributed to Julia’s inability to find stable child care were not the only issues she had to overcome. It seems to me that as women do start to do better that they are held down more. For instance, once Julia started to make a little bit more money she was required to pay more money. Julia started to make just over $8.00 an hour and lost all public assistance, which did not bother her, but she still needed the food stamps to feed her family. With Julia having to pay for food on her own she could not afford child care. Jessica from the “7days at Minimum Wage” video is in the same boat. She makes barely over minimum wage and cannot afford to buy her kids any nice things. Jessica does not have to worry about child care expenses anymore, but due to the neighborhood she lives in her kids are not able to play outside. It is a vicious cycle that needs to be fixed.
Julia was finally able to get into the Welfare to Work Program (WEP). Julia started to work internships in the hopes of finding full time employment. One of the benefits of the WEP program was child care subsidies. One might think that this would make all of Julia’s problems disappear, but it just added to them. Julia lost jobs and missed work because her child care checks would come late or come in the wrong amount of money (Putting Children First, pg 88). Julia was forced to go down to the offices to talk with her caseworker on numerous occasions to fix the problem. By then it was too late and Julia was in search of someone else to watch Jacqueline.
The factors that contributed to Julia’s inability to find stable child care were not the only issues she had to overcome. It seems to me that as women do start to do better that they are held down more. For instance, once Julia started to make a little bit more money she was required to pay more money. Julia started to make just over $8.00 an hour and lost all public assistance, which did not bother her, but she still needed the food stamps to feed her family. With Julia having to pay for food on her own she could not afford child care. Jessica from the “7days at Minimum Wage” video is in the same boat. She makes barely over minimum wage and cannot afford to buy her kids any nice things. Jessica does not have to worry about child care expenses anymore, but due to the neighborhood she lives in her kids are not able to play outside. It is a vicious cycle that needs to be fixed.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Blog #6: Child Care
There is a wide range of child care options that low-income mothers are forced to use and what they would like to use for their children. According to “Putting Children First”, a lot of mothers must rely on family care for their young ones. Some prefer to have their families watch them so the kids are surrounded by loved ones in the family atmosphere. Others, on the hand, use family members as a last resort when they cannot afford anyone else or when their normal care provider falls through. They would prefer to have their kids in a learning environment with other kids their own age so they can learn to socialize as well. The next time of care is informal care. Most informal care providers are unlicensed. The mothers in “Putting Children First” tended to have a lot of conflicts with their informal care providers. There were trust issues, times issues, and money issues (mostly from late subsidy payments from the government). Most mothers used informal care as a secondary form of care when working late hours, weekends, and/or holidays. Family day care is like kin care and center care. It has the home setting with loving attention, meals, and family environment, but it also allows kids to socialize with their peers with more one on one attention. The bad thing with Family day care is that it is not as educational and the care is not always ideal. The care centers are the ideal location to have their kids enrolled. There are the most structured, most educational, and they are licensed care providers. The negative aspect is that they are hard to get into, not as much attention, and hours are more restricted. Licensed facilities are declining in number, which means that more families will have to turn to unlicensed care (UnderProtected, UnderSupported, 2009).
There are many factors that go into the mother’s child care choice. I think the most influential factor is the cost. Diana had to find alternative arrangements because she could not afford the $25.00 increase that her informal provider wanted (Putting Children First, 47). Next, mothers need to work and not all jobs have flexible hours to work with them. This leaves mothers shuttling kids around from one care provider to the next and in some cases for the moms to leave their jobs. Such as Julia, who had to move her daughter, Jacqueline around to prove that she was willing to work (pg. 101). Mothers also has to have a “good feeling” about the care. No mother wants to leave their child in an unhealthy situation. A lot of the mothers have trouble finding a center with availability and are forced to put their children on waiting lists and hope for the best.
There are many factors that go into the mother’s child care choice. I think the most influential factor is the cost. Diana had to find alternative arrangements because she could not afford the $25.00 increase that her informal provider wanted (Putting Children First, 47). Next, mothers need to work and not all jobs have flexible hours to work with them. This leaves mothers shuttling kids around from one care provider to the next and in some cases for the moms to leave their jobs. Such as Julia, who had to move her daughter, Jacqueline around to prove that she was willing to work (pg. 101). Mothers also has to have a “good feeling” about the care. No mother wants to leave their child in an unhealthy situation. A lot of the mothers have trouble finding a center with availability and are forced to put their children on waiting lists and hope for the best.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Blog #5 Working Poor
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 has done little in helping families below the poverty line. Chaudry states that “we are asking the least fortunate to strive and work harder, we are deeply discounting our public responsibility for the children born into poor families and disadvantaged communities” (p. 14). I think that what she means is that by having women, and men, strive to meet specific work requirements in order to receive family assistance, they are actually putting their family in distress. Women are working so hard that they have no other choice but to leave their young children in an environment that they know little about or that is damaging to their mental, and their physical wellbeing, like Annette with her son Aaron (Chaudry, 2004). Annette had no idea what her son was doing while she was away at work. Then, she was so busy that she did not even have time to talk with her son or the childcare provider about it. When families actually start to get ahead and make more money, their assistance goes down, housing goes up, and they just go around in circles. It is like the “Living with a Hole in your Pocket” video stated, “it’s a vicious cycle” living payday to payday trying to make ends meet.
One of the main things that I really liked about the videos for this assignment was that the people being interviewed did not blame other people for the troubles. When asked what solutions the people would implement to help the working poor, the answers did not resolve around “they need to work harder” or “they are not trying hard enough to find work”. The interviewee’s responses were about political changes. Some suggested taxing rich people, to not outsource jobs, to make health care universal, and to raise minimum wage. I tend to agree with the gentleman in the “Working Poor” video. Raising minimum wage rates would just result in the costs of everything else being raised. It is obvious to me that something needs to be done to help not only the people living under the poverty line, but also the working poor who have to make the choices of what to pay for this month and what they can do without (Poverty in America), I just don’t know what to do.
Professor Newman touches on four important aspects to the working poor that need to be addressed. These issues are debt, education, childcare, and healthcare. The working poor know how important education is, but they do not have all the resources to help them. Many kids are left alone for hours and hours while parents are working. And even if parents are working they cannot afford healthcare or their employers do not offer it. I found it really interesting that she looked at the working poor as being success stories. Most of these people came from below the poverty line and are succeeding (on some level) now. I can understand where she is coming from, but I wonder how many of these people feel like they are succeeding while they are trying to make ends meet.
One of the main things that I really liked about the videos for this assignment was that the people being interviewed did not blame other people for the troubles. When asked what solutions the people would implement to help the working poor, the answers did not resolve around “they need to work harder” or “they are not trying hard enough to find work”. The interviewee’s responses were about political changes. Some suggested taxing rich people, to not outsource jobs, to make health care universal, and to raise minimum wage. I tend to agree with the gentleman in the “Working Poor” video. Raising minimum wage rates would just result in the costs of everything else being raised. It is obvious to me that something needs to be done to help not only the people living under the poverty line, but also the working poor who have to make the choices of what to pay for this month and what they can do without (Poverty in America), I just don’t know what to do.
Professor Newman touches on four important aspects to the working poor that need to be addressed. These issues are debt, education, childcare, and healthcare. The working poor know how important education is, but they do not have all the resources to help them. Many kids are left alone for hours and hours while parents are working. And even if parents are working they cannot afford healthcare or their employers do not offer it. I found it really interesting that she looked at the working poor as being success stories. Most of these people came from below the poverty line and are succeeding (on some level) now. I can understand where she is coming from, but I wonder how many of these people feel like they are succeeding while they are trying to make ends meet.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Blog #4 Balance of Work and Family
Balancing work and family is an issue that every family faces, both men and women. Personally, I agree with society when I say that women feel this “juggling act” more so than men. There are many issues to consider about women going to work. Some women go to work because they have no choice and they have to support their children, these would be the single moms of America. Next, you have the women who are part of a “two earner family. These women chose to have a career and a family. Regardless of the circumstance, these women feel more stress and guilt than their male counterparts who are considered the breadwinners of their families, and by society. That is not to say that there are not any single dads out there. In the video “Juggling Work and Family” with Hendrick Smith, they focus not only on single moms, but single dads as well. I think that these fathers have a different view of what so many mothers go through, which many men over-look.
What is considered a good family life? Is it having lots of money? Is it quality time? Is it getting ahead so your children can go to college, so you sacrifice family time? I had both parents at home until the age of 13, but at the same time it was like my dad was not there. He isolated himself from the family for much of my childhood. After that I lived with my brothers and sister in a single mother household. My family may not have had a lot of money, but I think we had a “good family life”. My mom juggled work and family pretty well. I cannot imagine the toll it took on her. My mom found ways to make it to all of our sporting events and extracurricular activities. She found ways to buy us the sporting equipment we needed and keep us clothed and fed. She spent time with us just hanging out watching movies or cooking dinner. One particular memory that will always stick with me was during basketball season of my senior year. We had made it to the 4A State Championship Tournament and my mom could not afford to take the whole week off. So, she would work half a day, drive four hours to get to Phoenix, watch me play, then drive home to do it all again the following day. I think that she did this four days throughout the week. I guess it makes it worth it because we won the championship. My mom has always gone through great lengths to support me and my siblings.
I find it interesting that one of the richest countries in the world cannot find a way to keep kids fed and cared for. According to the “Motherhood Manifesto” 20% of kids live in poverty. These kids and their mothers do not have health care either. Do women “opt out” of the work force or are they “pushed out”? I think they are pushed out. Why do women who do the same work get paid 24% to 44% less than men? Same work, same pay is the way it should be. These women are struggling to make ends meet and they have to cope with and live with the guilt of leaving their kids at home alone. However, I believe there are some benefits that come from being left at home; such as, the kids being more independent, being more self-sufficient, and valuing the time you do have together (Juggling Work and Family). From all the videos and podcasts I have learned that balancing a career and family life is all about trade-offs (Personal Struggle between Work and Home, Juggling Work and Family). But, is it always worth?
The main obstacle that can make it difficult to achieve a healthy balance between work and family are business policies. Not all companies are family friendly. If a business or company will not budge on their policies or flexibility, then most employees have to deal with it and take what they can get. Most single moms cannot afford to lose their jobs so they must adapt and overcome. If the US could follow in the footsteps of the UK, then I think everyone would benefit. Having the flexibility to work while your child is in school or after they have gone to bed would benefit everyone involved. The employees will get the work done and be more loyal to the company for being flexible. The company will benefit by the increases productivity and will save money by not having to re-train employees (Juggling Work and Care).
Referring back to the video “Juggling Work and Family” I would say that changes in traditional gender roles have made work and family issues more complex. The parents in the video refer to “not having enough time” and that the family “can’t keep up”. In traditional roles it was easy, the man went to work and the woman stayed home to take care of the family and home. Since, the 1970 family time together has shrunk by 22%. How much of that is lost in transit alone? It is clear that “family and work are not in synch” (Juggling Work and Family).
What is considered a good family life? Is it having lots of money? Is it quality time? Is it getting ahead so your children can go to college, so you sacrifice family time? I had both parents at home until the age of 13, but at the same time it was like my dad was not there. He isolated himself from the family for much of my childhood. After that I lived with my brothers and sister in a single mother household. My family may not have had a lot of money, but I think we had a “good family life”. My mom juggled work and family pretty well. I cannot imagine the toll it took on her. My mom found ways to make it to all of our sporting events and extracurricular activities. She found ways to buy us the sporting equipment we needed and keep us clothed and fed. She spent time with us just hanging out watching movies or cooking dinner. One particular memory that will always stick with me was during basketball season of my senior year. We had made it to the 4A State Championship Tournament and my mom could not afford to take the whole week off. So, she would work half a day, drive four hours to get to Phoenix, watch me play, then drive home to do it all again the following day. I think that she did this four days throughout the week. I guess it makes it worth it because we won the championship. My mom has always gone through great lengths to support me and my siblings.
I find it interesting that one of the richest countries in the world cannot find a way to keep kids fed and cared for. According to the “Motherhood Manifesto” 20% of kids live in poverty. These kids and their mothers do not have health care either. Do women “opt out” of the work force or are they “pushed out”? I think they are pushed out. Why do women who do the same work get paid 24% to 44% less than men? Same work, same pay is the way it should be. These women are struggling to make ends meet and they have to cope with and live with the guilt of leaving their kids at home alone. However, I believe there are some benefits that come from being left at home; such as, the kids being more independent, being more self-sufficient, and valuing the time you do have together (Juggling Work and Family). From all the videos and podcasts I have learned that balancing a career and family life is all about trade-offs (Personal Struggle between Work and Home, Juggling Work and Family). But, is it always worth?
The main obstacle that can make it difficult to achieve a healthy balance between work and family are business policies. Not all companies are family friendly. If a business or company will not budge on their policies or flexibility, then most employees have to deal with it and take what they can get. Most single moms cannot afford to lose their jobs so they must adapt and overcome. If the US could follow in the footsteps of the UK, then I think everyone would benefit. Having the flexibility to work while your child is in school or after they have gone to bed would benefit everyone involved. The employees will get the work done and be more loyal to the company for being flexible. The company will benefit by the increases productivity and will save money by not having to re-train employees (Juggling Work and Care).
Referring back to the video “Juggling Work and Family” I would say that changes in traditional gender roles have made work and family issues more complex. The parents in the video refer to “not having enough time” and that the family “can’t keep up”. In traditional roles it was easy, the man went to work and the woman stayed home to take care of the family and home. Since, the 1970 family time together has shrunk by 22%. How much of that is lost in transit alone? It is clear that “family and work are not in synch” (Juggling Work and Family).
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Blog #3 Work and Home
Care-work is done in every state and every country around the world. Care-work is not always a choice, but a necessity. If there is a young child or an elderly parent that needs taking care of it falls to the women because they are seen as the primary caregivers. The work they do does not receive monetary rewards and most of the time is overlooked by others. I think that society tends to take for granted how intense this burden is and they do not realize how much women actually do. This work is seen as the “Labor of Love”. Most women who do decide to enter the workforce are finding that after they work their 9 to 5 jobs, they return home to work a “second shift” doing the domestic duties of housework. According to “Changing Shift in Women’s Work”, the gender divide is still present, but the gender roles are shifting. More and more men are staying at home to take care of the kids while the women are the breadwinners. One thing I found interesting that was also in “Changing Shift in Women’s Work” was that high earning women did more housework as a way to make it up to their husbands for making more money and because men wanted to feel masculine so they just refuse to help with house work.
When I first read the questioned posed about my personal experience with care-work in my family I was quick to answer “no”. But, as I was standing at the counter folding laundry it occurred to me that that is what I am doing right now. I am not a mother myself and I am not married, but I help watch two young girls (between 21 – 24 months old) on a daily basis. In between homework assignments I am changing diapers, cooking meals, doing dishes, doing laundry, and many other household tasks. Growing up, however, I experienced a complete 180 in gender roles. My mom would go to work as an electrician in a power plant while my dad stayed home with me and my brothers and sister with the household responsibilities solely on his shoulders. I think that if I could be in a role reversal that I would not think twice about it. I do not see the “labor of love” as something I have to have or have to do. If my significant other was willing and able to do the household chores, then more power to them.
“Juggling Work and Care” has opened my mind to things that I never thought about before. For employers in the UK to be understanding and flexible to their employees responsibilities as care-workers is great. I can see how the arrangement leads to more productivity and loyalty from employees. The UK’s use of small teams and multi-skills training makes it possible for employees to take care of their duties without fear of falling behind or losing their jobs. They know that their co-workers will be able to get the work done without them and without any animosity. Even if an employee is not in a care-worker position they have a piece of mind because they know that if the need arises they will receive the same support.
When I first read the questioned posed about my personal experience with care-work in my family I was quick to answer “no”. But, as I was standing at the counter folding laundry it occurred to me that that is what I am doing right now. I am not a mother myself and I am not married, but I help watch two young girls (between 21 – 24 months old) on a daily basis. In between homework assignments I am changing diapers, cooking meals, doing dishes, doing laundry, and many other household tasks. Growing up, however, I experienced a complete 180 in gender roles. My mom would go to work as an electrician in a power plant while my dad stayed home with me and my brothers and sister with the household responsibilities solely on his shoulders. I think that if I could be in a role reversal that I would not think twice about it. I do not see the “labor of love” as something I have to have or have to do. If my significant other was willing and able to do the household chores, then more power to them.
“Juggling Work and Care” has opened my mind to things that I never thought about before. For employers in the UK to be understanding and flexible to their employees responsibilities as care-workers is great. I can see how the arrangement leads to more productivity and loyalty from employees. The UK’s use of small teams and multi-skills training makes it possible for employees to take care of their duties without fear of falling behind or losing their jobs. They know that their co-workers will be able to get the work done without them and without any animosity. Even if an employee is not in a care-worker position they have a piece of mind because they know that if the need arises they will receive the same support.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Blog #2: Gender Inequality
Pay differences between men and women leave a lot to be desired for women. I have heard it said before that men get paid more than women. But, to see it in black and white was an eye opener to say the least. Women make $0.77 per $1.00 that men make (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103979497) for the same work. I have always been a believer that the best person for the job should get the job and that people, regardless of sex, should get paid the same amount of money. CNBC’s Gender Wage Gap: Myth or Reality reported that women have the lowest jobless percentage rate of 7.1%. I do not see how that can be looked at as a good thing when most women do not receive the medical or dental benefits that men receive and they do not get paid the same paycheck. Instead women work two jobs to make ends meet. I think that sex segregation still exists because it is how our culture is defined and when people go against the norm they are ostracized. Slowly, we are branching out and allowing change.
Sex segregation is a cultural invention. Sex segregation in my opinion is having specific jobs for men and specific jobs for women. Cultural norms and stereotypes have dictated what these jobs are. From what I have read and seen more men teach at the University level, but all my professors are women. To be honest, in preparation for this semester and since it has started I have not encountered many men at all.
The socialization I have experienced at home, work, and school goes against patriarchy. Life at home for me was seeing my mom don a hard hat and steel-toed boots and go off to work at the Navajo Generating Station. She works in the man’s world as an electrician. My sister, following in her footprints, is now working there as well as an Operations Specialist. I was in the Navy for four years and my rate (job) was being a gas turbine mechanic. My brothers have always worked in white-collar jobs, as well as my dad. So, for me personally, I do not see our culture as a patriarchy. When I think back to times growing up I know that it has not been easy for my mom. I can remember coming home and finding her crying, but I have never asked her about it. I think that I will change that now and find out what she has gone through and experienced.
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