The Second Shift

1.) What is the second shift? The second shift according to the reading is the job away from the regular nine to five. The second shift consists of the labor dedicated to the up keep of the household like the laundry , cooking ,shopping, cleaning, repairs, landscaping etc.

2.) Nancy and Evan both work full time jobs they have a young child and they both are clearly stressed. Nancy does a majority of the house work as well as care for their son Joey. There is a major leisure gap between Nancy and Evan. Like most women unfortunately Nancy is responsible for a majority of the house work and child rearing. Nancy and Evan try to fix there issues but can't seem to get on the same page. Nancy is clearly the one that is most affected by the second shift. Evan has typical views for women and their role in the household and as care givers. Nancy grew up in a household were her mom was depressed and had low self esteem do to her fathers views on the role of a wife. She fears that she will be like her mother if this burden continues.

3.) The family myth that Nancy and Evan created broke down the household cleaning duties. Nancy would clean the up stairs which included the living room, dining room, kitchen, two bedrooms and two bath rooms. The down stairs which Evan was responsible for cleaning consisted of the garage which included the car, and the family pet.

4.) The myth was created in order to create an illusion that the household duties were being divided equally amongst Nancy and Evan which was certainly not the case.

5.) The reading wasn't that surprising to me I have seen this type of lifestyle on many occasions in my life. Most women in my family partake in a overwhelming second shift including my mother. When I am married and have my own house I plan on helping out when I can and make sure my wife doesn't get stressed out with the second shift. I plan on being most responsible for the exterior of the house while still helping with cooking, laundry, and child care. As my kids get older they will become more responsible for things like dishes, laundry, garbage etc. I will make sure I help out as much as possible so the second shift can be balanced.

Marriage

1) Attitudes changed from 1950's to the 1970's becuase of the psycological revolution which was a transformation in the way people look at marriage, parenthood, and their lives in general. by the 1970's people became more psycologically oriented, seeking emotional warmth and intamacy in marriage. People veiwed marriage as more than just a role playing experiance they began to dream and want bigger and better things while excpect more than just the standard husband or wife.

2)The rise in educated women as well as men between the 1950's and 1970's sparked this change concerning veiws of marriage. Also the social acceptance of divorce in society made this type of change in veiws of marriage more acceptable and more common.

3)In the 1970's marital research improved greatly and reinforced the changes of the time. Before most of the marital research was submitted via surveys that husbands and wives would fill out. When social scientist began to observe families themselves they saw much more important information compared to the old fashion surveys. The new technology of video taping made it possible for researchers to compare and contrast a couple over a period of time, this allowed researchers to notice negatives and positives over a longer period of time than before. This also brought about books and education concerning marriage.

4) When she says that " Marriage is a movie not a snap shot" she is elaborating on the fact that a marriage is something that is constantly changing. There are diffrent scence or stage, There are diffrent characters, Diffrent trials and tribulations as well as diffrent beginings and endings for each marriage. A snap shot is set in stone, there is no room for improvement or decline, the snap shot is also symbolic of a moment while a movie is symbolic of many moments. This phylosiphy can relate to how we study marriages becuase as researchers we have to understand that marriage is not the same movie or snap shot for everyone. Marriage is constantley changing in our society so the reaserch has to change with it. We have to learn from the lessons of those in the past and move on. We can't compare marital expectations from the 50"s with the one's today we are in a diffrent time. We have to study families individually and compare and contrast it has to be on a micro level not a macro. With the technology we have today we should be able to get more reliable and helpful information.

5) I did a little research in to the tossing of the bouquets. Most wedding guest believe that brides are good luck. Many people especially single women hope that gathering to celebrate on the wedding day will grant them luck in finding a husband. In the 14th century single women would actually want to take pieces of the brides dress in hopes of aiding in the search of a husband. Women would chase after the bride attempting to tear a piecec of good luck from her body. Instead of having her dress ripped to pieces the idea to throw the bouquet of flowers came about. By throwing the flower this allowed the bride time to get away from the crowd fully clothed. The throwing of the bouquet is associated with good fortune and a bit of fun. At my wedding my wife will throw her bouquet I just hope none of my baby sisters cathes it.

Sexuality

1) Has teen pregnancy rate been rising or declining over the past few years? What do the latest figures indicate?
Teen pregnancy has been on the rise since 2005 by 3 percent per year. It was on the decline from 1991-2005 by 30 percent. The pregnancy rate increased in women of all ages and races but unfortunately increased the most among blacks.

2) What are some of the theories for the change according to expert interview?
They didn't really give a clear cut answer as to why the pregnancy rate increased so much but they did discuss the abstinent only curriculum's at school, Sex education which teaches about forms of contraception as well as other different programs that focus on meeting the needs of teenagers. To me those were the main points that the experts referenced concerning change.

3) What situations influence teen pregnancy?
The lack of a close caring relationship with a trusted adult, Lack of proper health care, Positive outlook on life, Success in school and a scenes of belonging. All of theses situation increase the chances for teens to become pregnant.

4) If I were running a center for teens I would design a hands on in your face program that would prevent teen pregnancy. I would have something similar to scared straight only a little bit less harsh. I would have single mothers come in to talk with girls about the pro's and con's of teen pregnancies. I would also have the teens shadow a single mother for a day so they can see how life is as a single parent. I wouldn't focus on abstinence because I believe it would be a waist of time. I would show the students how to protect themselves and warn them of the dangers that can occur if they don't. In addition to that I would have people with AIDS and other sexually transmitted disease come in to offer testimony for the students in order to expose the reality and seriousness of sex. I would have male figures come to the center to talk to the male students about responsibility and family structure. In conclusion I would have males that are involved with in the child support system come and offer testimony about the ways child support can effect ones life. My program would work to the fullest I think it is a shame that society can promote sex in so many ways but when it's time to prevent and educate there seems to be only one way. The stats show those old ways are not working

LGBT & Q Families

1) In the piece Dan describes the stereotypical gay male that is portrayed on television. He describes the feminine ways and styles associated with gay men like the classic hand bag. He also touches on the point that on television they always make the gay man seem like sex is the only thing on his mind at all times. He talked about how the media makes gay man seem like they are the only ones that have sexual fantasies. He finished it off by talking about the gay man with the poodle but not just any poodle a pink poodle. Television makes gay people look like they all fit into a universal category. From watching television I noticed that gay men are portrayed as professional men, usually wealthy and living in suburban settings. There is no illustration on television of poor or working class gay men from urban environments I wonder why that is?

2) Honestly I don't watch a lot of television and when I do it is usually sports center or animal planet but I can recall a movie called Remember the Titans which illustrated a gay male that went against stereotypical norms. In the movie there was a quarterback named William who came from California. Williams father was in the army therefore had to move around a lot. When his father became stationed in Virginia he brought his son to try out for the high school football team. The country boys from Virginia made the assumption that he was gay before they even meet due to his long blond hair and feminine swagger. As time went one and William got to know the team he shocked everyone by kissing the captain Gary Berdet on the lips after practice. From that point on everyone new he was gay and gave him the nick name "sunshine". The team accepted him and treated him like the other players. Sunshine didn't go around slapping his team mates butts while in the showers, or fantasizing about his team mates. Sunshine didn't carry a purse around and didn't own a pink poodle. The movie portrayed sunshine in a non stereotypical way and showed viewers that gay men don't all fit into that universal box.

3) Adopting a child is a touchy matter I don't agree or disagree I'm in the middle. I think that gay men should be able to adopt a child because I would much rather see a child go into a loving home oppose to living in an orphanage any day. Regardless if the parents are gay men the life in a orphanage and the life provided in a loving and stable home are night and day. On the other hand from a religious stand point I am against homosexuality. I feel like it is wrong and unnatural for two men or two women to be together intimately. I believe man and women is the natural way and what is right. Don't get me wrong I am not homophobic (anymore) and I don't hate gay people I just don't think that that life style is right. I have gay family members, Friend and customers and treat them with the same leave of respect as I do toward my straight Friends , family members and customers. When A child becomes involved in that type of environment I think a lot of complications can occur. ( Hopefully we can discuss those complications in class)

4) After reading I wasn't really shocked I had learned about some of these statistics in other classes so it wasn't very new to me. At the end of the day family is family whether it is two moms or two dads or a mom and a dad, if a child has a support system and a loving environment anything is possible. I am for families, the lack of the family structure is partly to blame for societal problems we are faced with today. People will always be different and see things different no matter what. The reading didn't falter my expectations or surprise me.

Gender Blog

Gender and Paid Work Based on personal experience I believe that children learn how to behave based on societal norms. Boys are taught to like sports, trucks and dirt while girls are taught to be prissy,timid and clean. Males as well as females look to up to and emulate what is accepted in society for the most part. From a early age males are taught not to cry, be tough and show no emotion. Girls are taught to be expressive in their feelings as well as in their words. I have a son that is four years old and a daughter that is nineteen months old I can recall the amount of times I have caught him in their room playing with doll babies. I tell him not to play with the dolls because they are for girls but still he plays with them. I also see my daughter playing with his trucks and video games. For now this behavior is some what acceptable inside my household but is defiantly looked down upon by society Their is a double standard when it comes to societal norms because a girl can be feminine at times and masculine at times and be accepted in society. If a males is feminine in anyway he is considered sweet. With that being said men across the country are telling their sons to stop crying and be tough while allowing their daughters to cry over the smallest thing . Boys like blue because we are taught to like blue trust me if the Dallas cowboys wore all pink boys would have no problem coming to school wearing a pink jersey. Everything children do is decided by what is acceptable by society.

Assignment 2A

1) Instrumental leader: The person that leads the discussion and offeres input on how to solve the problem at hand.Expressive leader: The person that keeps up the group spirits and warmth this person is often times socioemotional.According to the reading the instrumental leader was the father due to the fact that he was the bread winner of the family. The expressive leader was the wife because she offered emotional stability for the husband and for the children. This dual leadership system is the structure behind the marital success in the 1950's.

2) The main demographic change occurred when women began to leave home a seek employment. According to the theorists the women's absence from the home threw off the balance between the instrumental leader and the expressive leader that was so common before the feminist movement.


3) The main theme of of conflict theory is dominance. The conflict theory is about those that have the power( men) verses those that have less power (women) to me there is only a conflict when the lesser group tries to join the group with the higher level of power. The fact that conflict exists proves that inequality exists, it shows a power shift is possible and that social change must happen in order obtain more power.

4) According to the theorist the man still has the upper hand over the woman because even though she brings the child raising and home maintenance aspect to the table she still has less options because she has no source of income. If you think about it the man is exchanging his goods and services in exchange for money, the woman is exchanging her goods and services for free and is totally dependent on the male to provide a lifestyle for her and the family. When women have their own money the dependency they have from their husband subsides giving them more options.


5) The main point of the feminist movement is to change the inequalities between men and women.

6a) If I had a chance to study families I would want to study on a micro level, I think studying and knowing whats happening on a smaller level would make it easier to understand whats going on on a larger level.

6b) To collect my data I would use interviews and other forms of personal interaction between myself and real people. I would also use longitudinal studies to collect information.

6c) I would study around 75 participants.

6d) What impact does a fathers absence have on a child's life?What race of people is mostly effected by absent fathers and why?What effective measures can be taken in our schools and in society to change views of fatherhood?

Introduction

Hello all my name is Kristopher Green I prefer Kris or Kj. I am currently a 5th year senior , I am a family child studies major with a concentration in family services. I really don't no what I want to do with my degree but I obviously would like to do something with families but children in particular. I love working with children I feel that I can relate to them and push them to succeed in a academic environment. I am currently engaged to my high school sweet heart we are planning to get married in July on 2010. I also have two children a four year old son named Jaylen and a eighteen month old daughter named Sanai. I am a very family orientated person. I come from a big family, My grandmother is one of fourteen children, My father is one of seven children and I am one of eight. My sibling situation is very weird I have a older brother that is twenty four, a younger brother who is 19 and a sister who is 21. These are my siblings from my mother. After their divorce my father had four more children. His oldest child from his second marriage is 10 years old, he has twin boys that are three years old along with a six month old daughter. My dad has children that range from 24 years old down to 6 months. Not to mention my son has uncles that are younger than him and my daughter has a aunt that is younger than her. Besides that my family is a major influence in my life I spend a majority of my time with family members especially with my future wife and children. As I looked through the syllabus I became interested in sexuality and teen pregnancy. I have always been interested in sexuality it also sparks a lot of discussion which I look forward to. Teen pregnancy is something I would like to discuss especially since I was a teenage father ,hopefully I can share some of my experiences . In conclusion this whole wiki thing is ok I feel much better using blackboard. Me and computer don't get along so this new experience has been difficult for me. I am learning slowly but surely so I should be ok.