55% held paying positions outside the home. (Jarmanand Howlett 95) In 1961, only 20% of all two parent familieswere! dual wage families, but by 1986, more than half (53%)of all families were dual earning families. (Ramu 26) Inlight of the fact that the majority of two parent familiesin the 1990’s have also become dual wage earning families,it is important to examine the effects of such a phenomenonon society in general and on child rearing in particular.Children acquire their goals, values and norms based on theway that they view or identify with their parents as well asfrom the quality and amount of care, love and guidance givento them by their parents. Parents who work present adifferent image to their children than parents who do notwork. In addition, wage earners, including parents, must (inmost cases), be absent from the home during the day. Whenconsidering these modifications to the family dynamics,there is considerable basis for proof that the positiveeffects outweigh the negative effects experienced byoffspring in families were both parents are employed. Theworking parent occupies an important exemplary role withinthe family. Working parents often command considerablerespect from their children, because they demonstrate theworthy characteristics of industriousness, socialcompatibility, self reliance, maturity, intelligence andresponsibility. Because children identify with theirparents, the feedback from such positive influences tends tobe positive as well because many of these positivecharacteristics are imparted upon them. A child who observesthe competent coping abilities of a working parent learns inturn, how to cope with life’s problems. At first this maytranslate into an improved sense of self-reliance andindependence for the child as well as an improvement in theability to be socially compatible. As the child grows, itcan further render a child more emotionally mature and hencemore competent in dealing with re...
