Bryce Moser

English 137H
Mr. Fonash
10/29/15
Paradigm Shift: Two Parents in the Workforce
In our contemporary world, we are surrounded by paradigm shifts and changes. To start,
one should understand that a paradigm shift is a fundamental change in approach or underlying
assumptions. A very prominent example of this fundamental change is the transformation from
having one parent in the workforce, to having two parents in the workforce like most families
have today. This change has been a progressive alteration throughout approximately one to two
generations. If we look back to the 1900s to around the 1950s, it was the social and societal norm
to see the parents have to very different roles. The father would go to work daily to support the
family monetarily, and the mother would stay at home to clean, cook food, and take care of the
children. Today, this is rarely the case. In our modern times, both the father and the mother of
each household normally are employed; this creates a dual-income household, an idea that would
be very surprising and atypical to see sixty to seventy years ago. Having two parents in the
workforce has led to many changes and establishments throughout the years. These changes
include all the effects and creations that have spawned from having a dual income household,
such as the formation of day cares, the psychological effects on the children of the family,
financial stability, and more. Day cares were created because while both parents were at work,
someone needed to watch the children. Psychological effects on children of dual income
households were noticed as well. For example, the amount of attention and motherly care is

different between a stay at home mother and a working mother, which puts an emotional strain
on a child. As for financial stability, one can see differences between the economic and financial
strength in the families, and notice the variances. Over a few generations, there has been a strong
and obvious shift in parents in the workforce, going from just the father working, to both mother
and father working to support the family. While there are positive and negative effects from this
shift over time, it truly demonstrates a fundamental change in society over time..
Prior to our contemporary times, one parent, more often than not the father, would go to
work, while one parent, normally the mother, would stay at home at take care of the children.
This was the norm, and the traditional family structure. As years passed, the norm changed and
became a little different. Eventually, two working parents, the dual income family, became the
normality when visualizing the American family. The shift to dual income families from single
income families was not a change that miraculously happened overnight. There were factors that
initiated and caused this transition. First and foremost, this shift occurred because of World War
II. This is when the economic empowerment of women especially started (Quast). While men
were drafted, enlisting, and off fighting for the United States over in Europe during World War
II, there was no man in the house to go to work daily, and bring home any sort of income. The
lack of men created a large labor shortage in America (Quast). On top of this, the economy in
the United States switched to a wartime economy, where production of war materials and
rationing was very important at home. The government needed women to step up and fulfill the
duties of the men, and step into the workforce. The government motivated the women through
what is known as the Rosie the Riveter posters and campaign, which is still seen today in
various scenarios (Quast). From here, women began to fill jobs and maintain positions; even

when the war ended and the men returned home, back to their normal lives. After World War II,
there was a rise in feminism as women wanted to keep their new roles in the workforce, and
further pursue more equality. This is where the book The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan
became well known, and women pushed for more equality (Quast). This feminine movement
was a huge factor for the shift to dual income families. Lastly, as time continued, the cost of
living had risen throughout the United States. While women seemingly wanted their new roles in
the workforce, it eventually became so that women needed to be in the workforce in order to
make money to thrive.
Dual income households are much more common in todays world than they used to be.
With two parents working, maintaining jobs, and being away from home for most of the day,
more children are left unattended at home with no one to care for them. Since children are
dependent on parental care and supervision, the creation and boom of daycares and childcare
institutions was found here. If looked back to sixty years ago, the idea of having other people
watch peoples children on a daily and regular basis would be very odd and rarely seen and heard
of. Financially, the families in the early 1900s survived comfortably while only the father was
working and supporting the wife and children, with no effect of a childcare expense. In
todays society, daycares and childcare businesses can be a tremendous expenditure that cuts
deep into the both parents pockets (How Much). According to babycenter.com, the average cost
of putting one child through a daycare or childcare business depends mostly on where you live,
what type of childcare you choose, your childs age, and the amount of hours you child will have
to spend there during the day. Overall though, the average cost of daycares and childcare in the
United States is around $11,500 a year, but it can also range greatly from around $3,500 to

$18,500 (How Much). Depending on what the incomes of both parents are, these high costs can
be a huge deficit to the earnings, and can prevent the purchase of other necessities and amenities.
In a chain effect, this can also lead to a lack of funds and in turn cause the children to have to be
pulled from daycare. The creation of daycares was a very important establishment that assisted in
the changing times of society. Daycares and childcare services are a prominent product of the
shift from the common single income family of the early 1900s, to the contemporarily common
dual income family.
The shift from single income households to dual income households has not only created
the institutions of daycares and other childcare services, but it also has proposed a question of
whether or not having two incomes is worth the costs. There are both positives and negatives that
need to be balanced when considering if having two incomes is worth what it is. To start, the
positives include having split expenses, if chosen to do so (Dual Income). The incomes can be
used together as well, but also separately for independent chosen expenditures. Next, when
putting your savings with your spouses, you increase the total savings between each other (Dual
Income). This can help in case one spouse was to lose a job, then they would at least have a
combined savings to support, until finding a new job. Also, having two incomes in a family
creates a sense of financial freedom, where one knows there is a second income to support
desired choices (Dual Income). Along with these positives though, there are also negatives of
having a dual income family that needs to be weighed in. First off, there is often more stress
involved with both parents working. This stress stems from time constraints of seeing each other,
seeing children, and balancing time accordingly for other necessary things as they have less
personal time. The partner who makes more money also drives stress. This is because the

opposite partner can occasionally feel belittled or lesser, as their income is not equivalent to the
others (Dual Income). With this, one may even feel an unfair division of labor, and believe that
they are doing more than the other person should be doing. Further, compared to the mid 1900s,
many needs such as housing, taxes, and health insurance have seen great hikes in prices. On top
of this, a second income does not just assist in saving, but is also has a negative effect in
assisting in more spending (Dual Income). Couples find comfort and support with a second
income and occasionally get more comfortable with greater spending and approaching and
embracing debt. Dual income families create both positive and negative possibilities and aspects
to take in and understand. While they do bring in extra money and more financial freedom, they
also create more expenses and produce unwanted stress.
Furthermore, the shift from single income families to dual income families also develops
effects on the children of the household, if there are any, both positively and negatively.
Beginning with the negatives, it is seen that parents who must go to work everyday do not get to
spend the quality time with their children if one of them were to be a stay at home parent. This
sometimes creates less of a bond between the children and parents. As stated earlier, depending
on the age of the child or children, they may be put in daycare or another type of childcare
service. Children who are in these services can often be affected negatively. According to CBS,
new studies have shown that children who spend a decent amount of time in daycares often
develop more stress, which in turn causes them to be disobedient and portray undesired behavior,
such as aggressiveness (Neal). It was said that children who spend most of their time under nonmaternal care, often grow behavioral problems as opposed to children who are cared for by their
mothers, such as during the mid 1900s. Continuing, obligations at work can exceed the time

spent on family activities, which can leave a child feeling deserted and unattended (Rodgerson).
A proper balance between work and family is very important. There are not just negative effects
from dual income families, but there are also positive effects as well. These positive effects stem
from children observing and analyzing how their parents perform and take on working. If the
childrens parents are hardworking individuals, they will pick up on this and associate similar
goals. Along so, they can also assimilate the same values and goals that their parents may have,
such as becoming more established, or gaining success. The children of parents who work often
develop better values, objectives, and ethics than children who may only have one or even no
parents working (Rodgerson). Children who have parents who are both employed definitely
develop positive and negative effects throughout their childhood.
A large impact of the shift from single income families to dual income families can be
seen through the change of the traditional American family. Although this traditional family of a
working father, stay at home mother, a few children, and the perfect life is still seen on some
television shows today, it is well known that this is not so much the case anymore. Dual income
families are showing to dominate the numbers now. According to prb.org,

Among married-couple households, about 13 percent consisted of families with children

in which only the husband worked, 31 percent were dual-income families with children,
25 percent were dual-income families with no children, and 31 percent consisted of other
types of families, such as older married couples whose children no longer reside in the
household.
Having one parent out at work and one parent in the house caring for the children is just no
longer the norm and tradition. Since World War II, the advancement of women obtaining jobs in

the workforce primed the evolution of the dual income family, and from here on created a
decline in the view of a traditional working dad and stay at home mom family.
Throughout time, our societies have all faced and gone through fundamental changes
where something is no longer what it used to be. A leading example of this can be seen through
the shift from single income families, to dual income families. In other words, there has been a
shift from families of one working parents and one stay at home parent, to both parents going to
work daily. Today, the number of single income families continues to plummet while the number
of dual income families is still on the rise. This change has been most prominent through the past
two generations, starting around the mid 1900s, to present time. Sparking the shift was World
War II, where women had to enter the workforce, and feminism and women equality were at a
peak. The shift to dual income families also stemmed the creations and prominence of daycares
and childcare businesses, as there was no one in the home to take care of the children while both
parents were working. Off of this, much debate has formed as to whether or not having this
second income is really worth what it is, or if it just creates more expenditures to face. Lastly, it
is important to look at how the shift from single income families to dual income families has
reduced the value and eminence of the traditional American family that is seen so commonly on
television and other media platforms. In all, our society has seen great change and creations from
the fundamental change and shift from single income families, to dual income families.

Works Cited
"Dual Income: Blessing or Curse?" Families.com. Families.com, 17 June 2006. Web. 11 Nov.
2015.
"How Much You'll Spend on Childcare | BabyCenter." BabyCenter. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov.
2015.
Neal, Rome. "The Negative Effects Of Childcare?" CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 16 July 2003.
Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
Quast, Lisa. "Causes and Consequences of the Increasing Numbers of Women in the
Workforce." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 14 Feb. 2011. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
Rodgerson, Sue. "The Day-care Child and the Dual Income Family." The Interim RSS. The
Interim, 11 Dec. 1991. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
"Traditional Families Account for Only 7 Percent of U.S. Households." Traditional Families
Account for Only 7 Percent of U.S. Households. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.