EFFECTS OF MATERNAL EMPLOYMENT ON CHILDREN Families are the foundation of the society. The main function of the family is having and raising children. Having children not only expands families, it also strengthens and renews society. Parents’ greatest responsibility to society is socialization and well-being of children. It provides continuation and supports health of society. All members of the families are interdependent. As a result, mother’s choice to be employed directly affects ability of the family to insure well-being of children. There are several ways why and how maternal employment might influence children. Child well-being is a result of time and money investments made by parents. Money is needed to purchase items that are necessary for healthy development, such as school, medical care, educational toys, etc. Time investments in children can be quantitative - the amounts of time spent with children, and qualitative - what parents do with their children. Maternal employment is related to each of these investments in children. Money Investments There is strong evidence that growing up in poverty is harmful for children (Brooks-Gunn & Duncan, 1997). It is important to understand the proper role of maternal employment in reducing poverty. Encouraging or promoting maternal employment may be highly desirable for a number of reasons. For example, maternal employment provides economic well-being, children are socialized regarding appropriate adult role models, etc. At the same time, the patterns evident in the research suggest that policies whose aim is merely to "get people working" will not eliminate poverty unless the pay is sufficient to provide for the basic material needs of families and children (Lichter & Eggebeen, 19... ... middle of paper ... ... care for physical well-being of the child, there are substantial benefits of high quality child care. It benefits children’s learning, improves their confidence and peer relationships, and can help to break cycles of poverty (Coley, 2006). However, for several reasons many children are in care that is poor or mediocre quality. One of the reasons is affordability. High quality child care is costly and parents with limited income cannot afford to pay the market price for high quality care arrangements. Other reason is that parents' decision-making is constrained by the supply of care available (Waldfogel, 2002). The availability of more flexible childcare can be expected to improve both child well-being and child development, and make it easier for mothers to build the job tenure necessary for promotion to better paying standard hours jobs (Kimmel & Powell, 2006).
Belsky, J. (2009, March). Effects of Child Care on Child Development:Give Parents Real Choice. Retrieved October 20, 2010, from MPSV: http://www.mpsv.cz/files/clanky/6640/9_Jay_Belsky_EN.pdf
The quality of child care in the United States leaves room for improvement. According to (Deborah, L., Vandell, & Barbara, W.), suggest that when low-income families received child care, mothers are more likely to keep doctor’s appointments and decrease their stress level. The cost of child care is having a huge impact on the careers of working parents and people with disabilities. According to the case study of Katy Adams is one that conveys the message of different facets of stress and, how it impacts a person’s health and well been.
There is a problem in Texas impacting children’s futures; many childcare centers and homes are not providing children with quality care. In an article about cost and quality in Texas childcare, child development experts Susan Eitel and Joyce Nuner quote a study stating “that [nationally] only 10% of infants and toddlers are in high quality [childcare] programs” (34). The term ratio describes the number of children one caregiver is watching. This number is one of the major factors in the quality of a childcare program. Organizations such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children know as NAEYC release recommendations regarding ratios and accredit programs based on their compliance. Childcare centers and homes must comply with certain minimum standards enforced by Texas regarding ratios; however, these standards often set the bar lower than recommendations made by these early childhood experts. The current standards in Texas do not ensure that all young children receive quality care; for this reason, the Texas Department of Family Protective Services should strengthen the minimum standards regarding ratios to better regulate the quality of care children receive.
"Child Care Quality: Does It Matter?" LifeSkills 1 (Dec. 2000/2001): 4.Http://www.danrpeoplelinks.ucr.edu/nb3/lib/ls_1_4.pdf. University of California. Web.
Many children with one parent don’t receive the accurate child care that they deserve because a single parent, can’t afford to pay child care by themselves. (Newman et al. 40). Child care is expensive but is very important for children, espcecially at a young age. Millions of children are in child care that isn’t actually giving the positive results, but also damaging them because parents can’t afford quality child care (Newman et al. 46). With poor quality child care, these children are more ...
Over time, the debate of childcare issue within the Canadian public policy context has been raging. Rise in the media attention of the social issue of childcare policy in Canada concentrates on the relationship and coordination among the federal, provincial, and territorial governments in addressing the social issue (Finkel, 20013). According to Lewis Steven of The Star Canada News Agency, childcare is one of the priorities the Canadian Federal Government need to consider when designing its social policies. According to Lewis (2013), the Canadian Federal Government needs to consider the safety net income as an important factor contributing to affordable childcare services in the country. In Canada, parents or members of extended family have the responsibility of providing childcare services without the consideration of family net income. However, outside the family, there are many childcare providers operating as private individuals or agencies. Such childcare providers operate as private businesses.
When selecting childcare for your child the foundation of early learning has offered some tips that they believe will be helpful in the process. The foundation says that parents have always known that good early experience was important for their child. Now scientist and researchers are confirming how critical these first years of life are to your child’s healthy development (Selecting child care, 2002). Because the brain matures in the world rather than in the womb, the brain growth and development of infants and young children is deeply affected by their earliest experiences. In a childcare environment the relationship your child has with the caregiver will also affect how that child feels about himself and the world around him and as he grows up (Selecting child care, 2002). I ...
If a child is looked after or in care, their opportunities in general may be restricted. This in turn leads to their development being affected in many different ways.
Children who participate in quality early learning programs tend to be more successful later in school. They are also most socially and emotionally competent. In addition those children show higher verbal and intellectual development during early childhood than children who do not participate in early learning programs (A Parent’s Guide to Choosing Quality Child Care). In order for a child care center to be a quality center they must have an educated staff, a program accreditation, and good health and safety practices. Parents choose high quality child care for many reasons. These programs prepare children for school in which they gain intellectual and social skills. Also the programs are a good opportunity for children because they receive age-appropriate learning materials and activities to let the children learn and grow.
It is common knowledge that a parent is considered the most efficient caregiver for their children. It’s also known that with daily responsibilities of caring for a child financially, parents partake in full-time and/or part-time employment. While needing to do so, many children attend daycare/preschool facilities. Granted, it is the parent’s responsibility to cautiously select where they decide to take their children. This is because parents know that while they are away for numerous hours of the day, their children are in the hands of another care provider and that their care would have an enormous impact on their children. At a young age, a child’s social and cognitive skills are continuing to take shape and the amount of time spent in these facilities has a resilient impact on a child’s development. With proper and superior care no matter the time spent, such positive effects on a child’s development should endure in a child’s cognitive and social development. In other words, there is a great benefit of childcare/daycare attendance on a child’s development.
Poverty is an ever-growing problem throughout our modern world, with millions living in its extremes. There are many consequences of poverty and the way they affect children and family life is absolutely detrimental. Poverty can be simply defined as “the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions” (Encyclopedia Britannica 2014). There are two distinct variations of poverty – absolute poverty and relative poverty, which will be further discussed throughout this essay. The total number of people worldwide who live on less than $2.50 (the bare minimum of the poverty line) is 3 billion (Global Issues, The Human Development Report, 2012). According to many, there are a varied number of consequences for those who live in poverty, especially children and families. The effects of poverty have proven to have detrimental effects on child development and the nature of family life. Saunders (2005) reiterates these factors of poverty in his book “The Consequences of Poverty”. This essay will state the many aspects of poverty and the detrimental effects its holds within child development, family life and the health of indiviudals.
If a child has a part-time job, they can learn the value of money. So I believe that the issue of child labour is not simple. As Unicef’s 1997 State of the World’s Children Report argued, children’s work needs to be seen as having two extremes. On one hand, there is the destructive or exploitative work and, on the other hand, there is beneficial work - promoting or enhancing children’s development without interfering with their schooling, recreation and rest. ‘And between these two poles are vast areas of work that need not negatively affect a child’s development.’
Many studies illustrate that high quality child care helps children who have been brought up in poverty to develop skills that enable better education, jobs and earnings (Adelman). It would help to reduce poverty if more parents would invest money `into high quality child care, because children would be able to learn the skills that they should know to get a good education. In an article entitled “9 Ways to Reduce Poverty,” Larry Adelman stated that “Investments in infrastructure—fixing old bridges, building mass transit, converting to clean energy sources—and investments in vital services such as schools, childcare and eldercare generate both public benefits and jobs.” Investments in the most important buildings and structures in a community would help to create job opportunities, which could benefit people who are in poverty by allowing them the opportunity to get a job. Poverty reduction would benefit the economy and the people who suffer from
middle of paper ... ... In the traditional society, the father’s only focus is on earning an income for the family which has a direct impact on the family members due to the lack of time spent bonding with his children and wife. The responsibility of the children falls on both parents’ shoulders, not just on the mothers. However, this is also an issue in modern society, if mothers rely too much on day-care and do not spend enough time with their children, then the same thing that happens to the father happens to the mother.
Gender roles are extremely important to the functioning of families. The family is one of the most important institutions. It can be nurturing, empowering, and strong. Some families are still very traditional. The woman or mother of the family stays at home to take care of the children and household duties. The man or father figure goes to work so that he can provide for his family. Many people believe that this is the way that things should be. Gender determines the expectations for the family. This review will explain those expectations and how it affects the family.