Week 13 – “Stressed, Tired, Rushed – Portrait of the Modern Family” Summary

             Over the years, it has become much more common for both parents of a family to work full time. This leaves any children at home alone, or with a babysitter or at a daycare service. Managing and taking care of children has not gotten any easier, but parents are having to work more and more to get by financially. In this article, a survey of parents showed some of the characteristics of parents with children, and the stress they feel.

            Interestingly, it seems that parents who have gone to college and white parents are often more stressed than other categories. Balancing the work life with the parent life is no easy feat, but it affects some parents more drastically. Most of the time, it is still on the mother to manage children’s schedules and shopping, even if both parents work. This only multiplies the stress that mothers feel. As one survey participant, Ms. Barnes puts, “You basically just always feel like you’re doing a horrible job at everything.” Many parents express concerns that they are not spending enough time with their children, and are missing out on their childhoods since they have to work. More than fifty percent of working parents report that they don’t feel they are spending enough time with their children. Additionally, when people are more stressed by the balancing act, they are less likely to feel that parenting is actually rewarding or enjoyable.

            It is still the case that the husband usually makes more money than the wife does, but women almost always do more in terms of housework and taking care of children. In 75% of families, the father still earns the same or more than the mother does. In terms of how parents spend their time at home, there has been a growing shift towards spending more time with children. Men are spending less time on their work and more time at home doing house chores and spending time with their kids. And yet, the mothers still do much more with the children. From managing schedules, to shopping for house supplies, to taking children to activities, the mother is still in charge here. Men are doing more than they used to and feel that the responsibilities are split evenly, but women continue to report that they do more. Nonetheless, parents are trying harder to work together better. The mother and father coordinate better so that responsibilities are more balanced and they can spend more time with their children.