Mod 6 Soci 226 (Ch 8 & 14)

fewer children living in poverty receive TANF assistance

in 1995, there was 2,622,000 children receiving it; in 2014, 420,000 children received it

work-family balance is challenging for moms and dads

working mothers: 43% not too/not at all difficult; 56% say very/somewhat difficult working fathers: 50% say not too/not at all difficult; 50 % say very/somewhat difficult half of working moms/dads say they have difficult balancing & family responsibilities

work family balance challenging for moms and dads

working mothers: Not too/not at all diff: 43%, very somewhat diff: 56% working fathers: 50/50% on both

working parents and career advancement table

27% of all working parents say it is harder; 7% say it is easier; 40% of working mothers say it is harder, 2% say it is easier; 15% of working fathers say it is harder; 12% say it is easier; 51% of working mothers w/kids under 18 say it is harder; 2% say it is easier; 16% of working fathers w/ kids under 18 say it is harder; 10% say it is easier.

t/f 7 of every 10 TANF recipients are children

T; 50% lives w/ one adult; 10% lives w/ two adults; 40% is a child only recipient---- 39% cared for by relative, 35% children in immigrant families, 20% has a disability; 5% cared for by legal guardian

How TANF differs from the old AFDC program

TANF funding through block grants (ended entitlement) States determine distribution of Federal support States must match Federal funds 1:1 States may provide additional funds When Federal allocation spent for year, no more cases accepted TANF benefits are time-limited Paid work required Must move to paid work within 2 years, self-sufficient in 5 years If not engaged in "work activity" for at least 30 hrs/week lose benefits States may reduce or extend period of benefit eligibility ( about 1/3 do) Federal government funds can only be used for 5 years Limited immigrant eligibility for TANF benefits Federal $$ can only be used for legal immigrants in U.S. 5+ years State $$ can be used for legal immigrants in U.S. < 5 years (< 1⁄2 of states do this) Neither federal or state $$ can be used for undocumented immigrants Restriction applies to cash assistance and work support services (transportation, child care, job training) There are at least 4 million U.S. born children to undocumented immigrants in the U.S.- all are ineligible for services.

family policy

The family is an important social institution and we therefore devote a large amount of social policy to regulating/protecting families

managing work/family conflict

There are two different approaches: Private strategies that individual families can use to try to reduce conflict between work and family roles. Public solutions (i.e., policies) that make it easier for all families meet their obligations.

Can we offer paid maternity leave?

U.S. is only industrialized country without a national paid maternity leave policy Most countries offer at least 12 weeks paid maternity leave Maternity leave has beneficial effects for mom, babies, and employers Better birth outcomes (faster recovery, fewer complications) Better infant health (birthweight, motor skill and cognitive development, greater attachment) Better employer outcomes (lower turnover, more productivity) Remember, FMLA only offers unpaid leave

ideal worker

View that worker should be able available at all times to do what is necessary for the job (work long hours, travel, etc.). As we've moved to a service-based 24/7 economy, the demands for this have increased. Assumes that the worker is unencumbered by family or social ties. Assumes the job is the most important factor in one's life. Reflects the traditional life patterns of men in BW-HM families.

negative view of welfare

We have a specific cultural idea of what counts as "welfare" in the U.S. Majority view welfare is a "handout" that is undeserved Some benefits are seen as earned (e.g., Social Security, unemployment) and deserved Very few people will say that they have ever received benefits designed for the poor (i.e., means-tested programs) because of the negative stigma associated with it. An Exception: The Earned-Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a benefit for poor families that very few people have a problem with (see Halpern-Meekin et al 2016)

social policy challenge 1 contd

What are the issues? Does government assistance promote dependency? Do benefits promote non-marital childbearing? Do benefits remove personal responsibility? Do benefits create a cross-generational "culture of poverty" ? These questions are the legacy of The Moynihan Report (1965)

social policy challenge 1: Aid to families

What are the issues? To what extent should the government provide a minimum standard of living for families? Children are a public good (see Chapter 1) Women face greater responsibility for childrearing, but have to do it on incomes lower than those earned by men (see next slide). How much responsibility should individuals bear for providing for their families? Belief in meritocracy- if you work harder, you'll get ahead Assumption that childbearing is a rational choice and you should wait to have children But, recall the evidence from Chapter 6 on teenage childbearing and selection effects

Challenge 2: regulating fatherhood

What role do fathers have in the family? (Review material in Module 4) Economicsupport Emotional support to both mothers and children Socialize through "rough and tumble" play ≈ 50% of children will live in a SPF (mostly with mothers) sometime during childhood What is the current policy? General lack of federal policy concerning family roles— especially fatherhood Private domain despite "production" of public good Not viewed as an issue in married parent families Child support of non-resident fathers is regulated

T/F In nearly half of two parents households, both mom and dad work full time

t

t/f 50% of children lived in Breadwinner-Homemaker families in 1960 Just 14% do today.

t

t/f us has no paid maternity leave

t

t/f custodial mothers are more likely to be poor

t; in 2010- a little over 30%

less than 50% of parents with depended children receive full child support payments from non-resident parents (lec 14, slide 26)

true

Child and Dependent Care Tax Credits (CDCTC)

Up to $3,000 of expenses per child (to a maximum of $6,000) All parents have to be working, 20-35% tax credit Cannot claim same expenses as for DCFSA Not refundable- have to owe taxes to claim (so only benefits middle class or above)

Active Marriage Promotion

$150 Million, as part of 2006 PRWORA Re-authorization State block grants to promote heterosexual marriage in three ways: Relationship and parenting skills training for unmarried couples Public advertising on the value of marriage H.S. education on marriage, relationship skills and budgeting

Can we offer paid paternity leave?

25 countries offer some paid leave to fathers Fathers use leave more when incentivized Mandatory Joint parental leave "use it or lose it" provisions (e.g., Sweden, Germany) U.S.menreporttheywoulduse paternity leave But 45% say they would need 100% salary, because many families live paycheck-to-paycheck Three U.S. states have paid parental leave programs (CA, NJ, RI)

Covenant Marriage

Additional legal requirements for marriage and divorce Pre-marital counseling Pre-divorce and co-parent counseling No right to contested divorce, except after 2 yr. waiting period Limited enactment Offered by three states: Louisiana, Arkansas, and Arizona Few couples (5%) pick such marriages where available Has no effect on divorce, once you account for selection effect that covenant marriages are most popular with religious conservatives who already have low risk of divorce.

Men have not changed as much —the "Stalled Revolution?"

Arlie Hochschild said we're in the midst of a stalled revolution because wives have moved into the labor force, but husband's have not adjusted their efforts at home. Men have increased their child care and housework, but not hard to do—they used do close to nothing. By contrast, women's average hours spent at work have doubled from 10 to 21 hours per week, over the same period. Cherlin counters that the revolution hasn't stalled—although women still devote more hours to housework and child care than men, the gap has narrowed considerably This is largely due to a reduction in the amount of time women spend on housework As the next two slides show, when we combined hours spent on housework, childcare, and paid labor men and women are just about equal Women's balance is more toward unpaid-labor and men's is more toward wage-labor Women spend nearly 2x as many hours on child care (13.5 v 7.3) and housework (17.8 vs 9.8)

Other programs that support low income families in jeopardy in current political climate

CHIP -9 million (1 in 8) children receive insurance funded by federal government because working parents do not qualify for Medicaid SNAP—20 million (1 in 4) children receive nutrition assistance Little known facts: Total spending on "welfare" (income-to-needs based benefits) is just 8% of Federal budget. Poor whites receive largest benefit from these programs, both in terms $ and % (see next slide)

Worry About How Children Affected by Changes

Cultural ideology of Breadwinner-Homemaker (BW-HM) family as best Mothering is women's primary task (Motherhood Mandate) + Good mothering takes time (Intensive Mothering Ideology) + Work competes with mothering = Mother's employment is viewed as a choice

U.S. policy is deficient compared to most advanced countries, where there are policies related to:

Extended sick leave (for worker) Other types of leave (care for sick child) Maternity (and Paternity) leave at full pay U.S. is actually only 1 of 9 countries not to have any paid maternity leave (see next slide) Guaranteed vacation time BUT... in some countries married women are more likely to work part-time than in the U.S., which also reduces WFC

current policy on wfc

Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (Review from last lecture) Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (DCFSA) Pre-tax savings account to use for dependent care expenses Federal tax policy, employers may offer Limits on expenses, max yearly benefit $5000 per household Regardless of number of dependents Average cost of fulltime childcare is $12,000 per child per year

Dual Earner couples

Historically uncommon because work and family synonymous Both spouses worked in familial mode of production Separate spheres doctrine with shift to labor market mode of production Rapid increase in women's labor force participation since 1960, esp. for mothers of young children In 2016, 63 % of married couples w/ children <18 were dual-earner (D-E) (in 46% of the cases, both parents work full time [see next slide]. D-E less common when children preschool aged (56%) D-E less common the more children there are in the household D-E less common for low income families Very few racial/ethnic differences (Hispanics less likely to be D-E)

what challenges lie ahead in regulating fatherhood

How does parental conflict affect child well-being? Co-parenting with conflict likely detrimental Is it better to have low conflict or father involvement? Periodic review of child support awards Once a poor father, not necessarily always a poor father Consideration of college tuition costs? Increasing inequality between states in child support laws Award amounts When does child support stop ? (at H.S. graduation, 18 , 21?)

Father visitation and emotional support

Increase in joint legal custody Some states have programs to encourage active role of non- resident fathers in children's lives Provide training and counseling to facilitate parenting on premise that contact = child well-being Research suggests that without child support, little benefit to visitation and involvement

Both working moms and dads are conflicted about work/family situation.

Moms are slightly more likely to say they'd rather be at home than work. For Dads, it is a near even split. Both moms and dads find value and satisfaction in their families and their jobs.

greater equity in gay/lesbian couples

No "traditional" gendered roles to slip into Chores divided more equally, especially child care Partner with higher earnings/prestige does less More sharing of tasks in lesbian couples than gay couples Differences between partners are viewed as "pragmatic." Couples describe division of labor as outcome of conscious decision making where job demands and preferences of each partner are taken into account.

family and medical leave act of 1993

Original proposal from 1992 candidate WJ Clinton was for a paid leave program, with guarantee to return to job, for most of labor force. Compromises for passage limited effectiveness Only businesses with 50+ employees covered excludes 1/3 of labor force Unpaid leave for up to 12 weeks Multiple contingencies even if in a covered firm and can afford not to be paid "Key" workers can be denied leave Elaborate approval process, required to use any existing sick/vacation leave first (and that get's deducted from time can be unpaid) Guaranteed an "equivalent," not necessarily same, job

single parent families

Prior to 1970s, < 10% of all families SPF In 2016, 35% of all families children <18 were SPF* *Single parent includes both truly single parents (25%) and unmarried cohabiting couples (19%) Significant racial/ethnic differences - graph: - 67% black - 52% native american - 42% hispanic - 25% NH White - 16% asian - 35% total

Paternity establishment (PRWORA 1996)

Provides funds to hospitals to determine fathers Penalizes TANF recipients who fail to cooperate Goal is to increase child support payments

Are marriage promotion programs effective?

Relationship-training courses tested with middle-class couples Encouraging single-mothers to marry may create step-families, where children fare about as well as in SPFs How to promote healthy marriages? Low quality or abusive marriages are bad for both children and adult well-being How can you tell that a marriage will turn out to be good? State program evaluations so far shown these programs have NO effect on marital quality or risk of divorce

Government Policies (public solution for resolving WFC)

Relative to other developed countries, there has a been resistance to legislative initiatives to address WFC in the U.S for several reasons: Laissez-faire capitalism ("let the market decide") Federalism ("let each state come up with own policies") Political ideology of individualism / BW-HM family as ideal WFC legislative proposals have increased dramatically since 1980s (as more women have been elected to Congress) The one policy we have related to WFC is the 1993 Family & Medical Leave Act

Private strategies for resolving WFC

Research suggest that there are several different broad strategies that couples try to use to meet both their work and family obligations. These strategies can involve several different types of behavior. The strategy that a family pursues depends on their social class—some strategies are more common for working class couples, while other are more common for middle class couples.

Public solutions for resolving WFC

Responsive workplace Definition: " a work place setting in which job conditions are designed to allow employees to meet their family responsibilities more easily" Policies Flextime Part-time work with benefits (pro-rated) Job sharing Onsite childcare Telecommuting Two-tiered system of responsiveness Programs implemented only when it benefits the business Highly skilled workers are costly to replace If cost of programs < cost of turnover, then policies will implemented This means that middle-class more likely to have access to programs

Broad Strategy 1: Combine Work & Family as Best You Can—"Just do it" (Working Class Couples)

ShiftWork - Opposite shifts reduce need for outside help e.g., one partner works days, the other works nights -Increases men's housework—can't just "help" - Not always a choice in a service-based economy where schedules change from week to week - Places burden on marital relationship --Very little leisure time spent together because of opposite schedules --The risk of divorce is 6x larger in couples where husbands work the night shift Rely on Extended Family Get kin to help with some of the family responsibilities (e.g., watching children after school) Usually the woman's mother is the one to do this Requires you live near kin and they are available to help Geographic mobility means we're less likely to live near kin today Older women today are increasingly likely to be working for pay themselves Women do a "Second Shift" (Arlie Hochschild) Maintain the status quo by keeping a gendered division of labor Women work for pay during the day, then come home to do all the domestic tasks (basically working another job) "Supermom" image fits this idea More common among older , NHW and Hispanic couples

challenge 3: promoting marriage-- what are the issues?

Should the government promote marriage? Would this resolve the prior 2 challenges? Little statistical debate , as studies consistently show that: Children raised in married biological 2PF have better well-being Married adults live longer, have more $$ and better health No real difference in well-being between heterosexual and gay/ lesbian couples Political/ moral debate is real and concerns: Autonomy of women Authority of men in families The wisdom of government imposing a particular view of family

summary: Social safety net unraveling

Social policy increasingly benefits older adults Affluent white older adults are more likely to vote; Poor, minorities, and youth less likely to vote Social programs aimed at youth and poor have been targeted for funding cuts Reflects "middle-class" assumptions of personal choice Meritocracy widely held value Personal choice, not structural conditions, emphasized (PRWORA) The great "risk shift" means increasingly individualized orientation—is that fair to children? One of the most significant differences between the well-being of children in other Advanced nations and those in the U.S. is the generous social welfare programs of other countries (see chapter 9). Key to policy debates is whether assistance to families should support one form or assist functioning? (Amato 2004)

Children Are Caught in a "Structural Lag"

Structural lag is when one social institution changes but others are slow to catch up. So expectations are out of "sync" What is the structural lag here? -Women's paid work is increasingly necessary (review material from Module 2 and Chapter 4). -But the economic system is organized around the "ideal worker" norm and assumes an unpaid laborer at home (described on next slide) -Other institutions operate in ways that do not reflect reality of having all parents working for pay -Think about when the typical elementary school day starts and ends. Could you work full-time and be available to take kids to school and pick them up? No.

Marriage Equality (Obergefell v. Hodges 2015)

Supreme Court ruled (5-4) that marriage is a fundamental right under the due process and equal protection clauses of 14th Amendment Prior to ruling 36 states already issued licenses to gay and lesbian couples Built on 2013 U.S. v. Windsor decision Majority decision embodies ideal of the individualistic marriage You can read the full decision here, if you are interested.

challenge 1: What policy is currently in place?

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Part of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) Outcome of negotiations between GOP controlled Congress and Democratic White House "End Welfare as we know it" (President Clinton) Notice the term "Needy" in the program title Is that a word with a positive connotation? What values is that conveying?

A study by Ruppanner and Huffman (2013) found that whether men have access to and are required to use work-family policies matters.

When leave polices are more egalitarian men experience more stress and greater awareness of WFC In Sweden, men report more interference from work to family and from family to work (and more than women on either count). In U.S., WFC is more more gendered- men report that work interferes with home, while women report that home interferes with work.

gendered behaviors in heterosexual couples

Women overwhelming make "adjustments" More likely to scale back on work (incl. working part-time [see slide 5]) More likely to say that being a parent makes it harder to advance in a career (see next slide). Do less housework and lower expectations Less likely to have adult-centered leisure time Leisure activities more likely to involve at least passively watching children (e.g., "play dates") Men more likely to engage in adult only hobbies and leisure activities.

Men have not changed as much —the "Stalled Revolution?" (2)

Women remain more likely to do housework and especially child care than men. Housework includes the emotion work and management of keeping everything running smoothly (see slide 37; Wade 2016) If you grew up in a two parent household, who kept track of how many roll of toilet paper you had? Women are more likely to handle the day-to-day care of children and to be responsible for the unexpected things (like a sick child). (see slide 38) Women's responsibilities are more likely to interfere with their long term earnings and career trajectories (see slide 30) Men are less likely to recognize this inequity (see slide 40) Even among couples that were egalitarian when childless, we find that new parents slip into these gendered behaviors. In fact, most people express a desire to be egalitarian. But during the course of marriage many fall into the trap of a gendered division of labor (see Wade 2017)

Broad Strategy 2: Scale Back on Work Demands (Becker and Moen 1999; Middle Class Couples)

"Placing Limits" Limit hours worked (e.g., say only working 40 hours per week, refuse overtime). Challenge expectations of "face-time" Common in large firms, face-time means being "seen" at work (even if not working); idea that you should be in office when boss arrives and stay until after boss leaves Refuse promotions that would require travel or relocation Choose where to live for lifestyle, to be close to family—even if that means earning less money and/or working at a less prestigious firm "Job vs Career" Psychological reframing of work by the couple Person with "job" does more domestic tasks Takes time off to care for children Manages household Person with "career" holds more power Works longer hours Able to relocate for career advancement Career considerations > than job considerations Trading-Off Strategy pursued varies with family-stage Couple takes turns: one has job for awhile, then the other has the job The person with the job, again, has more domestic responsibilities Key transitions are around children E.g. birth, starting school, going to middle school, etc. Risky for partner who trades-off first Having "job" means passing up opportunities for advancement, experiencing skill degradation, etc. If divorce, have more limited work history

What challenges lie ahead?

"Race-to-the-Bottom" States have incentive to offer minimum benefits to deter in- migration of TANF recipients Strict eligibility and limited benefits also encourage out- migration Clear there is wide variation in benefit levels by state, and most have cut their support to families with children Can TANF recipients find work? Unskilled and semi-skilled jobs increasingly scarce No guarantee of government jobs (as originally proposed) Low-wages and irregular schedules make finding child-care difficult (Scott et al. 2005). What happens to the children if parents do not find work? Long-term consequences for children raised in poverty Even if parents work, instability may have negative effects Are children the deserving poor? Do they deserve assistance? Are children still a public good?

Dads more likely to say they spend too little time with kids.

"work obligations" are #1 reason Reflects fact that dads are more likely to work fulltime (Good Provider); and Mom's do more of the hands on caregiving (Intensive Mothering) about 6 in 10 dads say they spend too little time with their kids fathers: 63% say too little; 36% say the right amont Mothers: 35% say too little; 53% say the right amount; 12% say too much

challenge 1.. Concern arose in 1970s and '80s for two reasons

(1) Social change Shift from widows to never-married & divorced beneficiaries i.e., a shift from a group seen as "deserving" assistance, to one seen as "undeserving." Decline of family-wage system & rise of women's paid work Women increasingly working for pay and expected to do so (2) Design of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) Program part of the 1935 Social Security Act, goal was to provide support to women whose husband's had died or deserted them, because they could not support themselves Itwasanentitlementwithunlimitedbenefits Increasedbenefitsperchild When people spoke about "welfare" they were largely referring to this program

4 goals of TANF in 1996 PRWORA

1) Provide assistance to needy families so that children may be cared for in their own homes or in the homes of relatives; 2) End the dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage; 3) Prevent and reduce the incidence of out of wedlock pregnancies; and 4) Encourage the formation and maintenance of two parent families."

middle class families receive a lot of gov support

Although we think of "welfare" in a negative way, if you consider all types of programs, most American families, receive substantial government assistance The cost of cash assistance to middle class families is nearly 4x the cost of assistance to the poor. This doesn't include cost of Social Security & Medicare

Marriage Equality ≠ Full Equality

Employment discrimination on basis of sexual orientation or gender identity Only 25 states prohibit If discrimination related to same-sex marriage, may have protection in all states based on Federal sex discrimination laws Conflicting court rulings need to be reconciled. Complicated parental rights and protections -Legal "parentage" principle assumes husband is biological father of birth mother for heterosexual married couples Gay and lesbian married couples must use stepparent adoption, if qualify (e.g., no other person has parental rights), or court judgement of parentage—even if listed on birth certificate Married gay and lesbian couples can two-parent adopt or foster (but some states permit adoption agencies not to allow if religiously affiliated)

paid leave programs in ca, nj and RI

Financed by employee payroll contributions to state temporary disability insurance Costs each employee ≈$30 per year That's about the cost of a cup of coffee per month. Cover 55-65% of earnings for 6 weeks Weekly maximums in place so that upper income earners have lower benefit value CA has had program longest and evaluations of that program show it has been effective---with some caveats. CA employers report "net neutral or positive consequences" But there are financial and gender barriers to use Moms have added about 1 week to maternity leave, dads have added just 2. days (for a total of 7 days) Dads are more likely to use leave when: This is a first birth They have a son They work in an occupation that contains a higher % of women Leave has increased the most for low income moms Many report that they cannot afford reduction in earnings.

balancing work and family is framed as a womens issue

Here are three magazine covers—from the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s— they are all about women's need to balance work and family This is the enduring legacy of the BW-HM ideal and our gendered view of what it means to be a good mother and a good father. Important to ask: Is balancing work and family only a women's issue?

Challenge 4: Reducing WFC

How can we effectively combine work and family obligations? Cultural ideology and structural arrangements promote BW/HM family as best Laissez-Faire Capitalism= let the market provide Private strategies for resolving conflict, gendered behaviors Two-tiered system of employer responsiveness Middle-class professionals have access to policies [but have fewer children], just 14% of civilian workforce has access to paid leave.

history of us family policy

In Colonial era, little economic assistance was provided Family was viewed as "little commonwealth" Private families did not need government assistance Following the Civil War, the U.S. government began to provide pensions to Union veterans and their widows In the late 1800s/early 1900s, labor unions—especially those affiliated with the Railroads demanded pensions and unemployment compensation The family crisis of the Great Depression lead to development of expansive family policies (well after most other countries had done so) The Social Security Act (1935) Old age benefits for retired workers (what we call "Social Security") Aid to Families with Dependent Children Amendments to the Social Security Act expanded programs Disability Survivor benefits Medicare (health care for aged) and Medicaid (health care for poor)

Broad Strategy 3: Reduce Demands at Home (Becker and Moen 1999; Middle Class Couples)

Limit Fertility Having fewer children means less potential for WFC D-E couples have fewer children than 2PF where only husband employed Requires anticipating WFC in advance or changing fertility preferences after 1st child when WFC encountered Lower Expectations of Housework & Leisure Time Reduce Non-family Responsibilities (e.g., volunteering) Eliminate Domestic Responsibilities Use higher earnings to purchase services Paid childcare or afterschool programs Export domestic tasks (e.g., laundry, take out/ pre-prepared meals) Hire domestic help (e.g., nannies, cleaning service)

Can we make childcare more accessible & affordable?

Low income families face significant challenges finding affordable and high quality center-based childcare (Scott et al. 2005). Center-based care is safest and has most benefits for children Hours of operation assume fixed schedules (70% of workers age 26-32 report fluctuations in weekly hours) Expensive for families even as providers have low wages DCFSA & CDCTC disproportionately benefit high income HHs Labor Force Participation Rate among women with children has started to decline Childcare $$ and difficulty one of top reasons moms leave LF. Potential reforms: Raise ceiling on DCFSA & CDCTC allowable expenses? Make CDCTC benefit refundable? More direct subsidy (e.g., expand Head Start, universal pre-K)? How to deal with fluctuating schedules?

stay at home moms vs stay at home dads

More than half of American's think children are better off with Mom at Home This is the Motherhood Mandate and the Intensive Mothering Ideology for women. 76% of Americans think Dad's employment is okay for kids. This is the Good Provider norm for men. 34% of children are just as well of if mother works; 51% better off w. mom at home 76% just as well if father works; 8% better off w/ father at home

Less educated dads especially say not spending enough time with kids.

No real education difference among mom's reports. among fathers: bachelors degree/more: 50% too little, 47% the right amount, 3 % too much some college or less: 69% say too little, 31% say the right amount among mothers: bachelors degree/more: 39% say too little; 55% the right amount, 5% too much some college or less: 33% too little; 52% right amount, 14% too much

Federal guidelines for child support

No regulation of fathers married to mother of child Automatic deduction of child support from paychecks recommended (1994) States had to develop guidelines for support based on income of non- resident parent, number and ages of children Federal minimums States can set higher standards Some states suspend Driver's License if father non-compliant

obergefell v hodges (2015)

No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization's oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right. ―Justice Anthony Kennedy

How can we effectively combine work and family obligations?

Only a small number of children have a stay-at-home parent 60% of married couples with children are dual-earner 35% of all families with children are SPF Paid work is necessary even in married couple families (and is part of "personal responsibility" for all. See the PRWORA) >50% parents report it is difficult to balance work & family responsibilities Work/Family Conflict associated with stress at home and costs to employers (e.g., absenteeism, lower productivity, turnover)