Introduction
Nowadays, it is widely recognized that several factors, including socioeconomic status and gender, shape overall life experiences. For the given assignment, E. M., a 35-year-old female, was interviewed to delve deeper into how her gender has impacted her life. The interview was conducted on January 13th in the evening at E.’s house, with the interviewee eager to cooperate.
The woman shared that she was born and raised in a middle-class family and has a Bachelor’s degree. At the moment, she works as a marketing manager. Moreover, she married at 28 and had her child at 32. The paper reviews E.’s experiences related to gender and work. It demonstrates how social learning theory and conflict theory can help understand the woman’s norms and values as well as her struggles to maintain a work-life balance.
Gender
The interview started with questions concerning E. M.’s childhood and family dynamics to which she was exposed. Here, it is essential to consider the role of social learning theory. According to Bandura’s social learning theory, people learn social skills through observing, replicating, and experiencing rewards and punishments. Significant others serve as people’s socialization facilitators and role models, hopefully pointing them toward “appropriate” behavior. People tend to avoid punishment and emulate those rewarded for their actions.
Indeed, E. M. explained that in her family of orientation, she observed her mother’s behavior and how she treated her father and children, leading her to emulate those attitudes. The woman remembers playing with her younger sister, pretending she was her mother, then switching roles. Therefore, children watch the people who socialize with them, pick up gender roles and standards from them, and eventually adopt them. Moreover, regarding the division of labor in her family of orientation, E. M. indicated that her parents had more egalitarian gender roles. From a young age, the woman observed that both of her parents had equal responsibilities, with no specific duties assigned to one partner.
Adoption of the egalitarian ideology, an equitable relationship, an equal distribution of rewards and limitations for both spouses, equality in the union, and the distribution of labor in the house are all critical to the longevity of dual-earner or dual-career couples. The interviewee mentioned that this is why, during her adult years, she and her partner bonded almost immediately. E. M.’s norms were affected by family dynamics, and finding a partner who shared similar views was crucial to her. In her family of procreation, E. M. highlights that equality and communication are the foundation of successful marriage and parenting.
Indeed, Arlie Hochschild “found that the happiest families were those who did come to some agreement and who did share the second shift” (Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality, 2016, 3:25). When it comes to parenting, E. M. emphasizes that paying sufficient attention to her child and nurturing her son is important. Parenting styles and the way parents socialize with their children vary depending on their socioeconomic status. For example, parenting styles are based on either natural growth (lower middle class, working class) or concerted cultivation (upper class, upper middle class), and their approach has a significant impact on childhood and later adulthood. Having come from a middle-class background, E. M. argues that her family is her priority, and she focuses on gentle parenting and cultivating her child’s talents.
Work
As for work, from a young age, E. M. observed how work experience affected her family dynamics. While she did not mention many conflicts, she discussed work-related stress and the demanding work schedules of her parents, which affected her relationship with them during adolescence. This is consistent with the theory of work-family spillover, which postulates that events in one area of life may affect another.
Consequently, E. M. highlighted that at that young age, she decided she wanted to achieve a work-life balance to maintain her identity. Moving forward, it was mentioned that E. M. is a marketing manager. Based on her experience, the woman admits that being a working mother comes with many challenges. Working mothers frequently experience role conflict, the feeling of having multiple duties competing for their attention at the same time, such as when a woman has a crucial job meeting, and her child is doing well in school. Moreover, they experience role strain, the feeling of strain that results from having to fulfill the demands of each role.
E. M. agrees with such beliefs and claims that, being a person who values her family, working up the corporate ladder and finding personal fulfillment has been complicated lately, especially given that she never had paid maternity leave. Among the 193 member states of the United Nations, the United States is the only wealthy nation that does not offer paid maternity leave (Deahl & Ludden, 2016). The interviewee’s child is only three and demands much attention, making E. M. feels guilty.
One can also see the supermom syndrome in E., driven by her desire to succeed in her career and be a caring parent. When delving deeper into making career choices and adjustments to accommodate her family responsibilities, the interviewee claims that she makes many sacrifices. A conflict theory perspective can be used to examine Emma’s work-life balance. The inequitable distribution of power, prestige, and financial resources is the main emphasis of conflict theory. The woman claims she finds it difficult to reconcile her obligations to her family and her job due to insufficient support from her employer and conflicting demands. As a result, this could indicate a power dynamic between employers and employees.
Conflict and tension between her job and family obligations arise because she is under pressure to work long hours or cannot access flexible work arrangements. Additionally, since E. M.’s job decisions and modifications could have unforeseen repercussions and trade-offs that affect her work and family life, they probably represent latent functions. Therefore, while there are no specific external pressures resulting from gender for the woman, there are internal forces that make her roles challenging due to the necessity to combine them.
Conclusion
In summary, the paper examined E.’s experiences related to gender and work. It showed how social learning theory and conflict theory can be used to understand better the woman’s difficulties with work-life balance and her norms and values. E. M. revealed that, since she was a young child, she had imitated her mother’s conduct and the way she treated children. The woman emphasizes in her family procreation that communication and equality are the cornerstones of a happy marriage and family. Regarding employment, E. M. noticed early on how her work experience impacted her family’s relationships. As a result, E. M. emphasized that she chose to maintain a work-life balance at a young age, particularly after beginning her own family.
References
Deahl, J., & Ludden, J. (2016). On your mark, give birth, go back to work. NPR.
Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality. (2016). The second shift: Arlie Hochschild. YouTube.