Comparing and Contrasting American Families Then and Now - Essay Example

In the times of early civilization and progress you would find the male counterpart toiling the fields for crop preparation or working in the stables, etc. The female counterpart would be at home gardening to plant vegetables, placing the family meal of stew over the fire pit, doing the laundry, milking the cows, etc (Smith1994). The position of co-head of household was a very significant position in colonial America. It required the woman to insure everything was running smoothly, that the children were well tended to and doing their studies and the house was presentable but quaint (Smith1994).

In contrast to the 20th century there is not much of a difference. Perhaps the main variations that would be found would be the fact that women have more rights now than they did then but the moral values are still held in the minds and hearts of many women in this time era(Lichter1994). Colonial times involved much more detail than does the 20th century. Everything was done from scratch where today, we as women can go out and buy prepackaged pancake mix, already cut beef, eggs in cartons, etc.

For the colonists this was not available so therefore the contrast here is evident. The female role in those times was even more hectic and detailed than it is now but there was a magic in it that still has spilled over into modern times. As was previously stated, there are so many women moving from executive status to stay at home moms now. They even have resorted to homeschool methods; as back in the colonial days many children were taught at home by the women (using: Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Online 1997-2005).

As was previously reverberated, while the women tended the children and home the men were left to have the burden of providing financial stability within the family. This took a lot of work within itself but the belief back in that time was that it was the mans responsibility to insure his family could survive financially while the woman secured comfort within the home for her family (using: Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Online 1997-2005). If women in colonial times did acquire work outside the home then it normally was still female related.

Some positions were those of a seamstress or a boarding house keeper. There were also women who took on the forms of doctors and teachers as well (using: Compton's Encyclopedia 1994-1995). When a convergence of these two variable time eras is viewed it is found that though time's have evolved for the betterment of women in the concept of work outside the home, the same family value's still exist. Even if women do work outside the home in the current time period, they are still considered to be the primary caregivers of the home and the children.

Furthermore, women aren't finding the satisfaction as they thought they would by working in more stressful positions within corporations. Though work at home and caring for the family can be visualized as just as difficult, and perhaps even more tiring, this is the wish of many women in America today. Why else would they leave the executive world in behind to be a 24/7 mom and wife They do this because they feel something is lacking in the family atmosphere, the