Working Wives and Mothers: What Happens to Family Life?

Working wives and mothers: what happens to family life? The changing work role of women has caused much concern about the survival of the family; most women can mix work with marriage and motherhood and handle or better share the resulting household responsibilities SAR A. LEVITAN AND RICHARD S. BELOUS American families seem to be besieged from all sides. male work patterns . The war effort's high demand for Divorce rates are climbing; marriage is being post- labor and patriotic fervor induced many women to join poned, if not rejected ; fertility rates are falling; increas- the labor force, boosting the size of the female work ing numbers of children are being raised only by their force by 57 percent during the war. Some analysts pre- mothers, either because of divorce or because their par- dicted that after the war family work patterns would re- ents were never married; and wives and mothers in return to the previous norm . They reasoned that rising cord numbers are rushing out of the home into the productivity and economic growth would continue to labor market. What is the effect of these occurrences on boost the income earned by husbands, thus reducing the institution of the family? Does the "economic inde- the need for another check and inducing wives to return pendence" of working women influence their decisions to their homes. This, of course, did not happen, as to either begin or end a marriage or to rear children? economists failed to consider the nonpecuniary attrac- Too frequently, the changing work patterns of women tions of work and the appetite for more income. are confused with causing the deterioration of family Since World War II, American households have life. Careful analysis of family-related data show that al- shown a strong propensity to increase their consump- though American families are changing, they are not tion of goods and services. Many wives joined the work eroding. force to finance these upward consumption patterns . The fact that women are working in record numbers Like the mechanical rabbit leading the greyhounds is not a new phenomenon . What has changed are the around the racetrack, these aspirations have consistently conditions and places in which they work. Many tasks stayed ahead of rising productivity, often requiring an- which were once performed inside the home are now other paycheck in the chase for the "good life." With the source of jobs held by women outside the home. inflationary pressures and slow growth in productivity World War II stands as a major breaking point in fe- during the 1970's and early 1980's leading to sluggish gains and even occasional declines in real earnings, another check became necessary to maintain the standard Sar A. Levitan is director of the Center for Social Policy Studies, of living, or growing consumption expectations, to George Washington University, and Richard S. Belous is executive di- which the families had become accustomed rector of the National Council on Employment Policy . This article is . By 1980, 3 adapted from their book, What's Happening to the American Family?, of 5 families had at least two household members in the to be published by The Johns Hopkins University . Press, Fall 1981 . labor force-in most cases, the husband and the wife. 26 Work, marriage, and motherhood partnership or it could create new insecurities. Given these conflicting and diverse factors that may Some futurologists have assumed that the vast up- have bearing on divorce, statistical demonstration show- surge of women in the work force may portend a rejec- ing a direct positive relationship between divorce and a tion of marriage . Many women, according to this wife working is unattainable. Often studies have reached hypothesis, would rather work than marry . This "inde- the conclusion that families in which the wife is work- pendence effect" would reduce the probability that ing are no more likely to separate or divorce than women would marry as they are better able to support households in which only the husband is in the labor themselves. The converse of this concern is that the force. prospects of becoming a multi-paycheck household The relationship between the expanding female work could encourage marriages. Data show that economic force and reduced fertility rates appears to be clearer. downturns tend to postpone marriage because the With advances in family planning, a majority of wives parties cannot afford to establish a family or are con- have managed to combine motherhood with work. The cerned about rainy days ahead. As the economy re- entry of women in the work force has not led to a vast bounds and prospects improve for employment, increase in childlessness among married couples, but financial security, and advancement, the number of has led to a lower fertility rate among working wives marriages also rises. In the past, only the earnings and when other social and economic factors are taken into financial prospects of the man counted in this part of consideration . Yet some reservation may be appropriate. the marriage decision. Now, however, the earnings abili- In West Germany, for example, fertility rates of the na- ty of a woman can make her more attractive as a mar- tive population during the 1970's have declined even riage partner-a modern version of the old-fashioned more than in the United States, but with a smaller in- dowry. crease in female labor force participation. Coincident with the increase in women working outside the home is the increase in divorce rates. Yet, it Coping with family-related duties. The wife's responsibil- may be wrong to jump to any simple cause-and-effect ities outside the home have not filtered back into a conclusions. The impact of a wife's work on divorce is major reallocation of responsibilities within the family . no less cloudy than its impact on marriage decisions . With the rising costs of household help, the option to The realization that she can be a good provider may in- pay another person to do the housework is beyond the crease the chances that a working wife will choose di - means of the vast majority . Also, there are limits as to vorce over an unsatisfactory marriage . But the reverse is the chores that can be passed on to the friendly neigh- equally plausible . Tensions grounded in financial prob- borhood supermarket clerk or appliance seller . Even lems often play a key role in ending a marriage . Given more than in the office or factory, too many household high unemployment, inflationary problems, and slow chores cannot be mechanized. Worksharing by other growth in real earnings, a working wife can increase members of the family remains largely a hope . The household income and relieve some of these pressing working wife and mother is, therefore, left to her de- financial burdens . By raising a family's standard of liv- vices to cope as wage or salary earner and unpaid ing, a working wife may bolster her family's financial houseworker . and emotional stability . When the number of hours a working wife labors Psychological factors also should be considered . For outside the home are added to the time spent on house- example, a wife blocked from a career outside the home hold chores, some studies have concluded that most may feel caged or shackled to the house-a situation working wives wind up laboring more hours per week some have dramatically likened to a pressure cooker than their husbands . Rough estimates based on data with no safety valve to release the steam. She may view from the late 1960's and early 1970's indicated that a her only choice as seeking a divorce. On the other hand, wife may average 65 hours on her combined jobs inside if she can find fulfillment through work outside the and outside the home (assuming that she holds a full- home, work and marriage can go together to create a time job in the labor market) . This exceeds the average stronger and more stable union. time husbands spent working on the job and in the Also, a major part of women's inequality in marriage home by about 8 hours per week. However, a more re- has been due to the fact that, in most cases, men have cent study based on data from the mid-1970's indicates remained the main breadwinners . With higher earnings that married women labored about the same total hours capacity and status occupations outside of the home in their combined jobs as men-roughly 60 hours per comes the capacity to wield power within the family . A week . There has been only a very small increase in the working wife may rob a husband of being the master of hours of housework done by married men (still under 3 the house. Depending upon how the couple reacts to hours per week, or one-sixth the time spent by working these new conditions, it could create a stronger equal wives) .' It is difficult to make accurate estimates of time 27 MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW September 1981 e Working Wives and Mothers use by men and women, but it appears that there still Going it alone exists a significant sexual division of labor even if total hours worked may be becoming equal for many married It appears that female-headed families will remain a men and women. significant phenomenon on the American scene. Such Just as pathologies within labor markets-such as families, despite feminist advances, are still more likely sexual discrimination-have been slow in changing, so to be poor and to experience sustained economic hard- will home adjustments to the new realities of both hus- ship.

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