Post 4

• What are some characteristics of good family life?
Recently there has been many different changes to the definition of family, single parent households, two parent households, etc. A good family life is where the kids are properly taken care of and educated. Also a good family life includes a parent(s) that can provide a stable place to live, food, clothing, and unconditional love to their children. The parents that are involved should have a good relationship, with good communication, and mutual respect for each other.

• What does it mean to balance a career and family life?
A good balance between career and family life is not neglecting your family, and still being productive at work. Some may say that balance would be spending time on the weekend with your family, and then working 40 hours a week Monday-Friday. Personally, a good balance is productivity at work, and knowing the feelings of your family, and spending time with them whenever.

• What factors can make this balance difficult to achieve?
Work is a factor that makes this balance hard to achieve, a lot of jobs are high stress, and a lot require 40 hours a week to get a full pay check, and also some jobs allow for overtime, so there is an opportunity to make extra money. Also families with a lot of members, it is hard to coordinate time to spend together as a family. Also, being a single parent, the balance may be thrown off because all responsibility lies on your shoulders.

• How have changes in traditional gender roles made work and family issues more complex?
Traditional gender roles make work and family issues more complex. Women who work and have kids are in limbo in traditional gender roles. Women have their traditional role in the family of cooking, cleaning, laundry, child care, etc, and when women are in the work force, the role is in jeopardy, and now men have to more of the women's work. Also there in more available child care.

• How can employers be sensitive to their employees’ family needs or obligations?
Employers are more understanding to their employees needs now more than ever. They offer maternity leave for mothers, and sometimes fathers. But personally, US employers should model there family programs and policies from France. They have paid maternity leave, extra vacation days, and free child care.

• How might having the support of family members, workers or neighbors make balancing priorities easier?
Having more support makes balancing priorities so much easier, it frees up your time, making it easier for you to get certain things done in your day. Time management and time coordination in families is the hardest thing to do. If you have people to rely on to watch your children makes things easier.