What's Happening to American Families - Essay Example

American Families American families today, according to Eisenberg (1991), have become estranged from their children due to increasing consumption, food prices, and the demands of family needs. As a result, parents are no longer spending time with their children, and instead spend it working. With more and more families engaged in the workforce, especially single mothers, children are not getting attention from parents or protection against poverty. For this reason the author feels that there should be social policies to eradicate poverty and encourage family time.

Eisenberg feels one of the most important policies is protecting young mothers and children against poverty. I agree with the author in that young mothers have to make do with their skills, and spend too much time at work to protect their children against poverty. They end up having less time with their children for nurturing or to enjoy parenthood. Instead, they are forced to work more hours and at the same time take care of their children in worried state, despite their husbands income (Coleman et al 2007).

A policy which protects young mothers means mothers will have less worries about the money required to take care of their children. Subsidies for childbirth, welfare money for maintaining family life; and even regulations at work for childcare would help them save time to nurture their children to become better citizens. Moreover, as far as the economic balance is concerned, a less worried worker is a happy worker; she is more productive if there are less home stressors to distract her (Mintz and Kellogg 1989).

This is the reason why, I feel the policy to protect young mothers and children against poverty should be made compulsory in the U.S. to alleviate the American families woes. ReferencesColeman, et al (2007). Family life in twentieth-century America. Greenwood Publishing Group.Eisenberg, L. (1991). Whats Happening to American Families? ERIC Digest. ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education Urbana IL. Mintz, S. and Kellogg, S. (1989). Domestic revolutions: a social history of American family life.

Simon and Schuster.