Comparison Contrast Essay

Comparison - Contrast Essay

Rebecca Hunter

Composition I – 98

August 26, 2010

Comparison between One – Career and Two – Career Family

In the early 1940’s and 1950’s when my mom was growing up could be fittingly delineated as a patriarchal organization with a clear division of labor. Status inequality and the division into two functional roles, the male takes to a higher status. Being keeper of the finances rendered even greater influence over the family.

The traditional one-career family was symbiotic by design. Both partners reinforce each other roles, boosting the capability of each to succeed. The women cared for the household, raised the children, and handled day-to-day errands; the men were in charge of procuring employment and sourcing economic opportunities.

In contrast, modern relationships that started to emerge during the 1970’s when I was growing up are redefining who runs the errands and how much household responsibilities are redefining who runs the errands and how many household responsibilities are managed by each partner. The modern family arguably journeys through a period of modifying role definition because ambiguity concerning responsibility ownership and task prioritization has become apparent. No longer is it the rule of bringing home the bacon nor the women to engage in caring for the home and children. As a matter of fact, in some families it is the women plays the role as bread winner while the man takes care of the role of the home maker and caregiver.

A dual-career family is where both spouses have jobs with a continuous developmental character and require a high degree of commitment. The most obvious positive impact of dual career family is the greater economic security with both parents earning income. Economic security translates to lesser financial worries for present and the future, a better quality of lifestyle with increased income, and the ability to withstand sudden economic shocks such as layoffs or unexpected...