WORKING MOTHERS IN THE U.S.

Parental roles have altered somewhat since the advent of the working mother.

Today more than half of American women and one third of mothers with children under the age of 18 have jobs outside the home. This is not only true in American because the same phenomenon exists in Europe as well.

In some families working mothers are a necessity. There are instances of hardship where the husband is unemployed or does not earn enough money for all the family’s needs. One in three single parent families in the United States is headed by women who live in relative poverty. Many divorced men are required by law to help their wives with child support, but not all fulfil this responsability.

However, it is also true that in many cases women work to have enough money to buy a bigger house, a more expensive car or take a longer vacation or for personal satisfaction.

Unfortunately when both parents work they have less time to devote to their children and to each other. But, everything considered, most men in the U.S. prefer an equal marriage in which the husband and the wife share the responsabilities of home life and housework. Nowadays most fathers are happy to take a more active part in housekeeping and rising the children. Modern American fathers often bathe the baby and take care of older children too and househusbands are becoming more and more common.