Critical Response - Essay Example

Critical Response Ranson, Gillian. 2009. “Education, Work, and Family Decision-making Finding the “Right Time” to have a Baby.” Pp. 277-289 In BonnieFox, (ed.), Family Patterns Gender Relations. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (04.08.11) This paper is a critical response to Gillian Ranson’s (2009) article titled Education, Work, and Family Decision-making. Finding the “Right Time” to have a Baby. Gillian Ranson’s paper has examined the relationships amongst occupational and educational options and the decision relative to having children. The author based her research amongst a sample of 185 female university graduates that were initially surveyed immediately after they graduated in 1985 from the University of Alberta. They were part of a continuing research between 1985 and 1992, which allowed the researcher to have exhaustive data about their employment experiences and their altering family circumstances. The author attempted to examine decisions concerning having children amongst the sample population, relative to the 1991 census. It was found that a larger percentage of respondents in conventional areas such as nursing and education had children by the time they reached their thirties as compared to women graduates employed in non conventional fields. The article is enlightening from the viewpoint of the challenges associated with paid employment and family responsibility, which have a stronger impact on women than on men. Women are more strongly impacted than men in becoming parents because it is a bigger issue for them to adjust with jobs. Because women have the distinct biological ability to give birth to children, they also have the capability to care for them. This also implies that the government should recognize women’s circumstances and introduce policies that give importance to providing better facilities of child care. Gillian Ranson’s article throws light on the fact that women face economic necessities or are compelled by the desire to develop their careers that often makes them to postpone the change to motherhood. They are also prone to face hardships and conflicts in coping with the dual pressures of job and motherhood. Theoretically, it is known that the relationship between career growth and motherhood is directly related to ‘the interaction between individual decision and social structural opportunity and constraint’ (Brown, 1982, p.123). Given the dramatic changes that are taking place in the structure of societies and the significance that is given to careers, it is not surprising that more and more women are giving precedence to career development and postponing creation of families. Brown (1982) held that in comparison with men, women were at a disadvantage because they have to bear the added burden of balancing job with family responsibilities. It is also known in this regard that men and women cannot be treated as homogeneous entities because collectively, women’s experiences of life are different as compared to men. The attachment theory examines this issue through the approaches of psychoanalysis, social learning and ethological attachment. Childhood attachment occurs because of the emotional and biological bond that mother and child have with each other, which implies that a woman will tend to care more for her child than for her career growth. There is evidence to indicate that the theory does hold much ground even in present times despite changing social priorities and personal ambitions. After childbirth, a woman’s relationship with the child takes precedence over other aspirations. This is perhaps one reason why women in present times tend to delay having children so that they can first fulfill their career goals (Juffer et al., 2002). It is also evident from other research and readings that realities and perceptions about professional growth after motherhood create a great deal of conflict between home and work life, irrespective of policies that aim at providing employer and family support. There is evidence of differing societal attitudes relative to roles and responsibilities of women at home and work. The discrimination and stereotyping of women at the work place after motherhood is a constant issue that makes working women to consider whether they should have children. Findings have indicated that despite flexible working conditions, many women are wary of becoming mothers because of aspirations relative to growth in careers. However, some women choose to slow down with their careers, even with the presence of friendly family and employment policies. It is important to read Gillian Ranson’s article in view of the significance of the topic relative to family life. Working women face several problems in the context of the logistical, financial, health and professional issues faced by men. A working mother has to coordinate her day in dealing with several issues such as arranging for the infant’s milk and food and caring for a sick child. She has to take care of cost of child care arrangements, loss of income arising from missed work and the extra expenses occurring due to child rearing. At the same time, professional development is very important for her in terms of promotions and incentives, which are often adversely impacted because of late arrival and early leaving in order to meet the needs of the infant or young child. A working mother is more susceptible to illnesses associated with stress and psychological problems. These are all micro issues that are relative to the working woman’s personal circumstances (Ranson, 2009). The macro issues impacting this topic relate to the policy initiatives that should be taken by the government to improve attitudes about working women. There is a need to take proactive measures by introducing education and behavioral models that gradually change perceptions about roles and duties of working women. This need arises because most of the stress in working mothers results from societal issues relative to family structure and changed sex roles. Working mothers are often made to feel guilty for having decided to continue working after child birth. They are also vulnerable to sleep disorders and infectious diseases. Most working women become physically exhausted and suffer from work related stress, which has adverse impact on family life. Many families have elderly members and children that intensify interpersonal stress and these women eventually tend to withdraw emotionally from their children and family. Better facilities of elderly care and child care homes will gradually change attitudes amongst working women relative to starting families. Gillian Ranson’s article made a lot of sense because it specifically deals with the experiences of the respondents as they considered the possibilities and realities of motherhood in varied areas of traditional and non traditional working. Although the paper acknowledges the possible impacts of gender socialization upon job choice and family extension, there is a suggestion that the concept of work and job materially effects the decision to become mothers. It is insightful to know from the author’s findings that amongst respondents aged above 30 years, almost 70 percent were not raising children, which makes it evident that educated women delayed childbirth. The author also concluded that amongst the 30 percent that chose to have children, most were teachers, implying that they chose to do so because of the lesser hours they worked. These outcomes are quite disturbing because if this pattern continues, societies will suffer and the social structure will be disturbed because it is not a good sign to have more and more women delaying childbirth until the age of 30. However, there is an element of disagreement in the research style of the author because she considered a rather narrow sample that included respondents of only a single batch of students graduating from a particular college in a particular year, which is obviously not representative of a diversified population. A more thorough research that includes a varied sample population will enable a clearer picture in terms of family decision making and in determining the right time to have a baby. Works Cited Giddens,A. and Mackenzie, G. Social Class and the Division of Labour. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1982. Juffer, F., et al. Maternal sensitivity, infant attachment, and temperament in early childhood predict adjustment in middle childhood: The case of adopted children and their biologically unrelated parents. Developmental Psychology, 38, 806-821, 2002. Lorra M. Brown. The relationship between motherhood and professional advancement: Perceptions versus reality, Employee Relations, Vol. 33 Issue: 6, pp.480 – 494, 2010. Ranson, Gillian. Education, Work, and Family Decision-making Finding the “Right Time” to have a Baby.” Pp. 277-289. In Bonnie Fox, (ed.), Family Patterns Gender Relations. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Read More