Gender Differences

Gender Differences (SumBlog7)

There are numerous factors that encourage men to share responsibilities with housework. Studies have shown that children drastically benefit, being more motivated, excelling academically, and staying out of trouble when fathers are involved with housework. Studies also show that women are happier, healthier, more productive, and more loving and supportive to their husbands and children when their spouse is involved. Males themselves are also happier, healthier and are more loving and supportive to their wives. It has also been suggested that married couples have more sex when they take on equal roles at home. These are just the start of reasons for the male to be involved. I think they emotional factor might play a very large role. Children see how women are treated, who carries the work load and the amount of affection shown around the house. I think this is essential in the emotionally stable development of young children and young adults. This could explain why more and more relationships and families are struggling. Gender differences very clearly play a large role in relationships. I also had the thought that maybe the children aren't doing enough of the house work. I came from a single mother family and my brother and I did the majority of the house work growing up. Because of that, I see it as extremely important for the man to take on an equal if not heavy work load in a relationship.I also wonder if in today's society families are creating more stress and house work by allowing massive amounts of technology. If the video games weren't sitting right there would family members naturally volunteer to take on work? I think so. I have seen couples make it a competition. Whichever spouse does less work at the end of the week than the other owes them a reward. Motivation to accomplish housework is created! 

This might seem really dumb, but I like the concept. If you need help with housework then find a way to get your family to help you. 1 hour of chores before they turn on the television. No Ipod or video games until a certain chore is completed daily. 

Sum Blog 6

Minimum Wage increase?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct1Moeaa-W8

Whether to raise the minimum wage is a hot topic right now. There are two differing sides. Mainstream media seems to focus on one side. This side is taking a look at the struggling workers who can’t make ends meet. It focuses on the single parents and struggling families that can’t put food on the table for their kids.  This YouTube video brings up an opposing side. The video shows very logically that if the minimum wage is raised, each worker will get more money. In the end however, the most unproductive worker, lowest in the company, and the one’s that need the wage increase the most, are the workers that are going to get hurt. Companies will not be able to afford small increases, much less large increases, so they will have to downsize and let workers go. A large minimum wage increase could actually increase unemployment in the group of people that need work the most.

In class we looked at the videos that romanticized low income and minimum wage jobs, trying to show the need to raise wages.  I do see the view point however I think there are more strings attached than people think.  It is important to look as companies and the economy as a whole as well. A large increase could actually put companies out of business. I run a small construction company. I currently employ only myself, but I crunched some numbers on if I could afford to hire workers. The difference between a $7.25 minimum wage and even a $9 minimum wage would be huge. For 3 employees for one year’s work that change would be a difference of $10,000! As a small business my budget would be gone and I would go out of business almost immediately. I think a wage increase needs to be very slow and maybe needs to be subsidized by the government, since they are the ones that haven’t kept up with inflation. There isn't really a good answer to the current situation.