Abstract
This paper argues that the economy favors men as the main breadwinners. It explains that the problems of female heads of households have their origins in the economics of the nation, favoring full-time work and rewarding males disproportionately for the same labor. The paper points out that this initial imbalance is intensified by the social welfare system, cut once (and likely again) in the recent past by a Republican administration that, by its actions, would rather punish female heads of households than help them, no matter what effect it might have on them or their offspring.

From the Paper
"The huge numbers of Baby Boomers has worked to intensify the effect, making competition for scarce jobs and benefits more intense than for any previous generation, at the same time increasing the amount that generation pays in taxes to keep Social Security payments to its parents-voted into being by those parents-going up. While all this is problematical for female heads of household, it is even more dire for African American female heads of households, with a new problem-the recently recognized 'marriage gap'-to add to the difficulties. Any solution would need to be two-fold: societal and political. While it is true that one cannot legislate attitudes, one can legislate policies and programs. Making those more 'female head of household friendly' would at least begin to solve half of the problems faced by that population group."

Tags:republican, social, welfare, feminism

Abstract
The paper discusses how within the traditional family model, males possessed a 'breadwinner' status; the term 'breadwinner' being that in which a man provides financial support for his family such that his wife does not have to enter the labour force (Tang and Zuo, 2000). The paper explains that men are divided as to which school of thought to now follow as they on one hand feel that their masculine identities and patriarchy are threatened, as the move towards egalitarianism may create a power struggle between themselves and their wives, cause their wives to provide them and any children with lass attention, force them to take more responsibility around the house and lastly because it may be looked upon unfavourably by their male counterparts.

From the Paper
"Social demands are currently forcing families to move towards a more egalitarian dynamic than the traditional approach that it once followed. Within the traditional family model, males possessed a `breadwinner' status. The term `breadwinner' being that in which a man provides financial support for his family such that his wife does not have to enter the labour force (Tang and Zuo, 2000). Men are divided as to which school of thought to now follow, as they on one hand feel that their masculine identities and patriarchy are threatened as the move towards egalitarianism may create a power struggle between themselves and their..."

Tags:men, equality, work

Abstract
The paper discusses how this worker's experience illustrates how serious discrepancies still exist between the work experience of women versus men (WOMN 3035 Unit 5 61). The paper discusses how the basic problem is that women are perceived by employers as transitory workers with little commitment to the workplace. The paper asserts that women's paid work is undervalued because it is linked to their work in the home and care for children (Unit 6 81), while men are taken seriously because they are regarded as breadwinners and as being willing to maintain a long-term commitment to their work (Phillips & Phillips 85). The paper discusses how women even today continue to encounter problems of unequal pay, marginalization, differential treatment, and threats to their jobs because of globalization.

From the Paper
"Jennifer's (not her real name) work experience reflects the issues for women workers studied in this course. Her experience also illustrates how serious discrepancies still exist between the work experience of women versus men (WOMN 3035 Unit 5 61). The basic problem is that women are perceived by employers as transitory workers with little commitment to the workplace. Women's paid work is undervalued because it is linked to their work in the home and care for children (Unit 6 81). Men, meanwhile, are taken seriously because they are regarded as breadwinners and as being willing to maintain a long-term commitment to their work (Phillips &...)"

Tags:women, work, issues

Abstract
The paper begins by describing the case of a single mother who, after being laid off, was forced to move into her mother's home with her six year old child, a classic case of an involuntary intergenerational household. The paper looks at the recession's effect on the expectations of the younger generation and then considers the case a recent college graduate with an economics degree, who cannot find a job to cover his student loans. The paper discusses how many students in university are switching majors, but older workers who have been 'downsized' feel less optimistic. The paper also points out that because construction has been so hard-hit, women, rather than men, are often the primary breadwinners, and the recession is hurting homeowners and investors more than renters or retirees who rely on Social Security checks.

From the Paper
"What will the recession's effect be on the expectations of the young, like Keri? Having your own room with a television, your own cell phone, private school, afterschool classes (Keri has had to forego ballet, although her school offers some free extracurricular activities) had become the norm, even for middle-class families--but no longer. Stacey says that it is hard for Keri to understand, but she has had not choice. "We were never extravagant, but little things like eating out, going to the movies, all of those things are gone. And grandma doesn't have cable."
"Stacey's career has met a roadblock but twenty-two-year old Jamaal's never really took off. A recent college graduate with an economics degree, Jamaal worked his way through college with the hopes of landing a good job to pay for his student loans. However, even experienced individuals in the field of finance have had trouble keeping their jobs, much less recent graduates. Jamaal said that he was angry for a number of reasons--first, that even though he pursued an economics degree, his classes never really discussed the dangers of the kind of creative lending practices that brought about the current economic crisis, like subprime mortgages and credit default swaps. "This shouldn't be taking me by surprise," he said. "What was the media doing all of these years?""

Tags:intergenerational, households, mortgages, homeowners, layoffs

Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses evolving gender roles within Canadian society. The writer looks at changes in the labour force in Canada and notes the increasing numbers of women. The writer argues that while men are no longer the sole breadwinners, they do retain significant economic dominance in Canadian households as in the labour force as a whole.

From the Paper
"The statement that in Canadian society men are no longer considered the "sole breadwinners" nor women only fit for "domesticity" is an assertion that, upon initial review, appears incontrovertible. After all, the rise of the dual-income family and the increasing prominence of women in the paid labour force is a widely recognized phenomenon in Canada as in most western countries. This being said, however, upon closer review it may be argued that the situation in terms of gender roles in the Canadian economy and labour force is not quite as clear as this statement would suggest."

Tags:women, work, family

Abstract
This paper provides a review of Barbara Ehrenreich's book "Bait and Switch," which asserts that the changing shift in the economy since the Golden Age has led to less stable jobs, contingent labor, and underemployment in America. The paper explains that author Barbara Ehrenreich goes undercover for a year to explore the social issue affecting millions of Americans - underemployment, unemployment and over-qualification. This paper provides additional evidence to support Ehrenreich's findings by incorporating other sociological concepts such as the breadwinner homemaker model, gender inequality, and age discrimination. Several articles from other research findings are used as additional support. The paper concludes that the lessons most important to be learned from this book are the American dream is a myth; the career mystique is not attainable; hard work sometimes does not pay off; and structural factors a play a role always in life chances.

From the Paper
"Ehrenreich's inability to obtain a job casts doubt on the career mystique. The career mystique requires two conditions. The first requirement is an expanding economy with upward mobility in the work force, and the second is a breadwinner-homemaker model (Moen, Phyliss, Roehing 2005: 9). The breadwinner-homemaker model is an antique way of life during the Golden Age, where nuclear families in the 50's benefited from the expanding economy and where gender inequalities was not yet political discourse. Neither of these conditions is easily attained, and because of this, Ehrenreich's does not achieve the career mystique. If the career mystique was true, Ehrenreich's hard work in finding a job would have resulted in finding a lockstep job."

Tags:overqualification, career, mystique, breadwinner, job

Abstract
The paper discusses how Deborah Sampson Gannet impersonated a man for the purpose of serving in the colonial army and liberating her country from the British. The paper describes Sampson's wartime bravery and subsequent peacetime role of partial breadwinner for her impoverished household. The paper asserts that her story is important to retell today, in honor of her gender and her service to her country.

From the Paper
"Deborah Sampson Gannett is the first American woman known to have impersonated a man for the purpose of serving in the colonial army during the American Revolutionary War. The contributions of female figures such as Deborah Sampson Gannett have often remained ignored or unrecognized in contemporary accounts of colonial history, despite their major contributions to the early struggle for freedom, equality, and justice (Henrietta, 1997). Sampson did not lead soldiers to victory in a major battle like Joan of Arc. But feminists claim Sampson's life as important and worthy of study for what her example reveals about the age in which she lived, and because of her fearless determination."

Tags:colonial, army, war, soldier, breadwinner, gender

Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that Connie Field's documentary 'The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter' explores a world and a social context far removed from the world of working women today in the early 21st century. As such, its use as a non-typical resource for study might appear surprising. However, as this essay argues, many of the issues addressed in this documentary with respect to women and work - choice, racism, the dichotomy of domestic and paid labor - continue to be issues confronting women today over a half-century later. From an inclusive political economy perspective, this essay argues the thesis that the experiences of the women represented in 'The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter' are reflective of broader, large scale social phenomena in regard to the differential treatment of women's labor in our globalized capitalist economies and the state structures that support these economies.

Outline:
Introduction
Rosie the Riveter in an Historical Context
Choice, Opportunity and the "Breadwinner Ideal"
Opportunity and Status of Women's Labour
Conclusion

From the Paper
"When we understand women's labour in this historical continuum, we gain insights into the larger structural and economic forces shaping not only opportunities for women but also the exploitation of women's labour, and the restrictions placed upon women's choices by capitalist power structures. The fact that women in the 1990s worked to ensure family survival in much the same way as did women in the 1930s is indicative of the deep structural forces that have determined women's labour opportunities over time. Moreover, this historical contextualization allows us to understand the depiction of women and work in The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter in a more complex way. Many women, and in particular women from low-income families, who were often coincidentally women of colour and/or recent immigrants, have had to work in the paid labour force before the Second World War. The significance of the historical events outlined in Connie Field's documentary is not so much that women were in the paid labour force for the first time but that the nature of their labour, and their standard of recompense, was radically different from that which they "enjoyed" in the years before the Second World War."

Tags:documentary, labor, employment, work

Abstract
A paper about the story of "Metamorphosis" by Frank Kafka. The breadwinner of the family becomes the unwanted, the abominable, and the unforgivable member of the family through the process of metamorphosis into a bug, a cockroach, or insect.

Tags:the, abominable, son

Abstract
The writer explains how ideas about marriage have drastically changed in this century and consequently the concept of divorce. The writer portrays the traditional family with the father a breadwinner, the mother a housewife and nurtured children and shows how society now questions the roles in families, with the result that divorces have become increasingly common. The writer shows how the stigma of divorce has been taken away and how therefore it has become much more accepted in society.

From the Paper
"This report looks at the subject of marriage and divorce from several perspectives, and advances the argument that divorce has become a much more common occurrence in society than it used to be, due to the fact that divorce has gone from something that used to be considered aberrant and looked down upon by society, to something that has become considered normal and looked upon as normal by society, since it is so common in the present. In fact there is now a whole industry that is devoted to divorce, including lawyers, therapists, and self-help authors, and in a way, this industry sustains the normalization of divorce in society. People are more likely to get a divorce today than they were in the past because there is no longer a specific focus on the shame of divorce, and more of a focus on the so called positive aspects of it. "The normalization of divorce has brought us a long way from the stigma that accompanied divorce up until the 1960s. No longer is being divorced a deviant status, or an indication of pathology. Non-pathological therapeutic models of divorce now predominate, requiring management of sentiments and resources, rather than professional application of therapeutic practices to families in need to prevent divorce" (Varnis, 1997). Although the media image of the nuclear family still has its advocates, increasing divorce rates and changing patterns in the mass-media presentation of families as being effectively non-traditional (and the continued presence of their real-life counterparts) have made the modern family more open to gender-role malleability and extension to second-generation and blended-family
patterns, along with the acceptance of divorce as something normalized in society, as mentioned above. "While there may have been fewer divorces in the 1950s than today, there were undoubtedly many more unhappily married people" (Talbot, 1997). Couples today feel more free in both their gender roles and their attitudes towards a lifelong commitment that may not account for the fact that people change and may become irreconcilable. "

Tags:stigma, gender, roles