Closing Thought of the Week

Through out this week we talked about the reality of single parenthood. Not everything is pretty in pink as portrayed in the media.  The one good thing that the media did do was shed light on the hardship of being a single parent in America.  Was it accurate that is for you to decide.  We also discussed about the different ways that single parents could receive help from different institutions.  These institutions are out there to help single parents and let them know that they are not alone.  So as we close this week long discussion about single parenthood we ask each and everyone of you to reflect on the various statistics and information presented through out the week and post your final thoughts on the reality of single parenthood. 

The Media and Single Moms

The Parkers is a tv show that portrays the life of Nikki Parker a single mom and her daughter.  As you veiw the following clip think about how the media portrays the life of this single black mom and do you think it is accurate?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCWDjIoqRb8

I'm a Single Parent... Help!

Being a single parent is very difficult work. It is very overwhelming for the single parent to run a house and children on their own. Luckily, there is help! There are many organizations out there which have the advice and much needed support for the single parent, both single mothers, and especially single fathers. Many organizations are faith based, out of a church or temple, however, there are others which where created by single parents to help other single parents.

Many of the organization’s websites have great resources for the single parent such as: articles, information, advice, government resources, and support boards, as well as stories from single parents. Though some of these organizations are based in different states, the website alone is able to help a single parent and give them the support and advice they need. These websites are not solely focused on the single mother, or single father, but also the children of the single parents.

Some websites to help single parents are listed below. These are great resources for anyone looking for information about single parenting, or looking for support and advice. Please feel free to peruse these websites for their great information.


http://singleparentsnetwork.com/


http://www.singleparent411.org/faith_based.htm


http://www.singleparentcenter.net/


http://www.singleparents.org/


http://www.warmlines.org/spsg.html


The following video is a great advertisement for an organization called S.P.A.R.C. who is a great organization dedicated to helping out single parents.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVaP-OKA20w&feature=related

Snapshot into a Single-Mother’s Life: Welcome to Reality

The media portrays some, but not all the hardships that single mothers endure.  For the past 15 years approximately 12 percent of families in the U.S. were headed by females (pobronson.com).  According to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2005, 50 percent of African American children live in a household held by a woman, 25 percent Hispanic, 16 percent non-Hispanic, and 10 percent Asian (squidoo.com).  Single mothers have to juggle between their work, legal services, social services agencies, etc.  At times they can feel overwhelmed and stressed because of the difficult life circumstances. In recent studies, they have found that single mothers have a 40 percent higher risk of major depression (Turo-Shields).  This depression can be caused by an increased amount of life stressors and lack of social support.  Many times these mothers fall into the working poor class and many times have difficult choices they have to make.  Approximately 27.7 percent of single mothers live in poverty (bizymoms.com).  

From a personal interview with two single moms, I was able to see the various hardships and joy that a single mothers face.  Tati is a single teenage mom.  She has a 15 month old son.  As we talked she began to talk about the hardships and the joy she has of being a mom.  She began to talk about how at times her son would drive her crazy that she just wanted to scream and walk away.  At times it was too much for her to handle, but at the end of the day it didn’t matter how much stress she felt she still just wanted to relax and spend time with her son.  When she did work she felt the support and love of her family having her parents take care of her son while she worked all day.  In addition, she said that it didn’t matter how long she worked all she wanted to do was go home and spend time with her son because she is so attached to him.  On the other hand there was Maria.  She is currently 52 and has four children.  As she talked about her experience as a single mom she began telling me of the various things she went through.  She raised her children in housing apartments offered by the government.  She was a welfare mom.  Maria was also a homemaker and did not go off to work until her children were of school age and even then she was known as a working mom only working hours around her children’s school schedule.  When it came to buying her children gifts she found that the law-away plan was the only way that she could afford buying Christmas gifts for her children.  As her children grew, her eldest daughter helped her out babysitting.

Looking over these personal accounts and review the information that has been given we can see that the media life of a single mom isn’t as pretty in pink as it is put out to be.  They endure many stresses and are at greater risk of depression, but over all they work hard to maintain and keep their family afloat.

Discussion:

1. Does the media accurately portray the reality of having the perfect job that accommodates a single mother’s lifestyle?
2.  How does race and stereotypes play a role in single motherhood?

References:

Barnes, S. L. (2008) A Case Study of the Working Poor Single Mother Experience: An

Analysis of the Structure versus Agency Discourse. Journal of Poverty. Vol. 12 Issue 2, p175-200. from SocINDEX

Bizymoms.com 11/30/2009

Marrero, Tati. Personal Interview. 11/30/2009

Rosario, Maria. Personal Interview. 11/30/2009

Single Parent Family. www.squidoo.com Found 11/30/2009

The Factbook. pobronson.com.  Found 11/30/2009

Turo-shields, D. (2/2009). Single Mothers at Greater Risk for Depression. mental-

health-matters.com Found 11/30/2009

Single Dads in the Media Vs Single Dads in Reality

http://
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZuVvpdTu1s&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoIc84wdBps&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwXthGWcmh8&NR=1


Single Dad’s in the media:
The clips above represent how television shows depict two different types of single dads. In the first clip it shows a Clip of the show Two and a half men, which shows how a divorced single father raises a child. Through out the show you can see how the mother feels that her ex husband is not capable enough to take care of their son on his own. This clip shows how the parents are trying to set relatively the same boundaries to benefit their son, however as you can see it is hard for parents that are spilt up to uphold the same rules. The media in this case portrays the father as a bad influence on his son. This clip does a good job depicting a typical bad guy role of the single father.
In the second clip you can see a different kind of single father in the show Full House. In this shows a father who lost his wife, so this shows how this father as to play the role of both father and mother. In this clip we see the children’s reaction to losing a grandparent. Danny the father tries to comfort is daughter, but isn’t able to really see her pain. The T.V show may have done this to show that he isn’t able to connect with his young daughter on such a personal level, like a mother would. We also see Michelle’s older sister try and step up and act like a mother, but the truth is that she isn’t able to really help her younger sister because she like her younger sister, she is still a child too. In the third clip we see Michelle’s uncle Jesse who lives with her, and is also consider a role model in the family step up and help Michelle cope with this lost. The media portrays Danny Tanner the father as someone who isn’t able to help his daughters with all their problems, but they are able to handle them with the help of other family members. This is a very interesting view of how the show can be view. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Do you feel like these T.V shows depict single fathers in a negative or positive light? Please explain?

Single fathers in Reality:
Through research I have found single dads in reality are becoming more and more common. In 1970 single fathers were 10% of single parents; by 2003 they were 18%, increasing their numbers from less than 400,000 in 1970 to 2.3 million in 2003 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2006). These numbers are astonishing compared to when being a single dad was unheard of.  However single mothers are dominating the world of single parenthood. There are many different theories as to way that is. According to Downey and Powell (1993) they used reports from eighth graders with single fathers… and found no difference between single fathers and single mothers in adolescents repots of parental trust, clarity of expectations, frequency of rule setting, or frequency of talks about school. However they did find that single mothers were more likely to know children’s friends, and their friend’s parents. On the other hand Hawkins had a conversation with 7th graders about their single parents and found out that 475 of adolescents reported talking with their single mother about personal problems in the past month, compared to 38% for single fathers and 17% for married fathers. This information goes along with the idea of children speaking on a personal level with their mothers at a younger age, but at an older age the children are more likely to spend time with their fathers. Hook and Satvika 2008 also believe that a causing factor is “ Single fathers may spend les time with their children than do single mothers because children spend more time away from the home visiting their mothers than their fathers.” This is interesting to think about. Do you think that this is an accurate fact? If anyone has an experience either a personally or maybe one through a friend of a single father that either goes along with these theories, or goes against them if you feel comfortable sharing I think it would be interesting to see if they correlate with any of these? Please feel free to share any thoughts you may have on this topic!!



Hawkins, D.N., Amato, P.R., & King, V. (2006). Parent-adolescent involvement: The relative influence of parent gender and residence. Journal of Marriage and Family, 68, 1225-136.

Hook, Jennifer L, & Satvike. Chalasani. (2008). Gendered Expectations? Reconsidering Single Fathers’ Child- Care Time. Journal of Marriage & Family, Vol. 70, pg978-990,14p.

Powell, B., & Downey, D.B. (1997). Living in single-parent households: An investigation of the same sex hypothesis. American Sociological Review, 62,521 – 539.

U.S. Census Bureau. (2006). Facts for features: Father’s day. Retrieved February 12, 2007, from www.censes.gov/ Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/006794.html.

Taking a Look at Single-Parents

Single-parent families are defined as a family that is formed as a result of marital dissolution and non-marital child bearing (about.com). Single-parent households are something that is very commonly seen today in the United States. Since the year 1970 “there has been a 300 percent increase in single-parent households headed by mothers and a 500 percent increase in those headed by fathers. Today, 26 percent of white families are headed by one-parent, as are 61 percent of black families and 34 percent of Hispanic families.” (Seccombe, 2008, pg. 18). There are many sources available for single-parents. Ranging from the media to various government institutions one can learn about the services offered to single-parent households.

Currently it is very common to see single-parent household shows on television. The media has found various ways to portray the lifestyle single-parenting. Television shows such Full House or Two and a Half Men portray the life of single-parent dads. In addition, the light that media gave single-parent households brought to life the various hardships that single parents endure, but it also idolized this lifestyle and could portray a false image of single parent households.
From the media to real life their can be a great amount of contrast from this fairy tale life. In the year 2006, the United States census found that there were approximately 12.9 million families in the U.S. that were headed by a single parent. Furthermore the census found that 10.4 million were single-mother families and 2.5 million were single-father families (U.S. Census Bureau). In conducted research, it was found that approximately 21.2 million children in the United States come from single parent homes. Furthermore, at least 44 percent of the single-women households are divorced or separated, while 33 percent have never been married. In reference to single-men households about 57 percent are divorced, while 18 percent have never been married (about.com).

In conclusion, through out this week we will talk about the hardships that single-parents endure. Furthermore, we will look at the various ways that the media portrays single-parent households in contrast to reality. In addition, we will talk about the various ways that that single-parents can receive help through various institutions. We hope that you enjoy it.

Questions for discussion:

What is your perception of a single-parent home?

What are your feelings about the statistics of single-parent homes?

How do you think media portrays single-parent homes and do you think it is accurate?


References:

Bergman, M. (3/27/07). Single-Parent Households Showed Little Variation Since 1994,
Census Bureau Reports. http://www.census.gov/PressRelease/www/releases/archives/families_households/009842.html

Seccombe, K. (2008). Families and their social worlds. Boston: Pearson, Allyn and Bacon.

Single-Parents. (2009) http://singleparents.about.com/od/legalissues/p/portrait.htm

Closing Thought

In the past week we've discussed lay-offs and joblessness, the housing market, we've introduced personal stories into the conversation, and we've allowed for people to see how the economic crisis has affected different sectors of society by posting articles, facts, and clips.

We now ask for others to post interesting articles, facts, or clips that they find (and the research doesn't have to be in depth -- all it takes it going onto google, or some newpaper website and searching recession and family) -- they they find interesting.

Please explain what about the article interests you, and how it relates to the class. This is your chance to tell us what about the recession is captivating and why.

How Should Families Handle Layoffs?

http://www.necn.com/Boston/Business/2009/11/16/Economy-is-taking-its-toll-on/1258383675.html

After going to the link for the video video, do you believe Dr. Charles Foster is in the right by saying to be straightforward with kids about lay offs?

Do you think it is important for children to understand the fears of their parents? If so, is there certain methods that you think would be better than others in letting a child know how the parent feels?

More Questions About The Economic Recession

Here are some more questions to think about

1.) What are your feelings about company employees taking a pay cut in order to prevent coworkers from being laid off? Should administration take a large pay cut than the average employee?

2.) What lifestyle changes have you or your family made because of the economic recession? What impact did this personaly have on you?

3.) With minimal job opportunities available, what alternatives do people have that are seeking employment?

Personal Stories on the Recession

Obviously many environmental factors and situations influence how a family develops, as well as affects how families function. It’s been difficult for many families to ignore the financial crisis, because most families are facing or struggling affects from the financial crisis. In the last three days we’ve outlined how the financial crisis is affected social resources for families such as the housing market, healthcare, the job market, and obviously the inflation for the cost of education – as many of us are aware.

The Obama administration has tried to create incentives for people to spend money – such as the $8,000 dollars new home buyers received for purchasing homes in the last year, as well as stimulus checks, (which differ depending on if you are responsible for a family or a single person).

Below are links to articles that reference the issues listed above. We ask you to please read one article from an issue that you find interesting, and answer the questions at the bottom of this post. We have also attached a NPR interview that is aprox. 8 minutes long. It’s understandable that some people may not want to listen to it, but the interview is transcribed and you can read it on the link as well.



INTERESTING ARTICLES:


A very interesting article about how states are closing prisons because they cannot afford to keep them open, and pay for the cost of living of the inmates.
http://recession.org/news/no-money-for-prisons


This article is about how families are re-examining how much they have to live on, and what exactly they really “need”
http://recession.org/news/living-standards-recession



This article is about how the economy is affecting family relationships.
http://www.slate.com/id/2211594/


If you’ve ever worked as a nanny and dealt with internal whether of leaving the job, and the affects it has on both the child and the family – then you might be interested in this one.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/03/30/nanny.jobs/index.html


Families having to move because of financial circumstances.
http://www2.morganton.com/content/2009/may/28/recession-uproots-families-takes-toll-children/business/


How the recession is re-shaping the American Family – personal stories.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0614/p13s01-usec.html


This article discusses how personal the recession can get – the financial crisis crashed through a families door. They never thought they’d have to deal with something like this.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/11/eveningnews/main3703133.shtml


People turning motels into homes.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102050673


What were:
1) the salient themes that you could pick out from the article, in relation to families.

2) the changes taking places in family structure, function, or even the benefits of having a family.

3) examples that support your opinion on why, when, and how people might delay families during the recession.

4) We can look at the effects that the economic crisis has had and is having on families --- but what about on people looking to start families soon? Their dreams are going to be pushed back. What about people looking to buy houses soon? , etc. What might the effects be on these populations?

Ashley B, Ashley K, Zac B, Alyssa R

Questions About The Economic Recession

The following are questions to consider.

1.) How has the economic recession affected you or your family in some way?

2.) What do you think about the facts/statistic about the economic recession affecting families?

3.) What are your feelings/thoughts about the economic recession?

A Few Questions About the Impact of the Recession on Families

What different programs are there currently that aid families in affording healthcare, housing, food, etc.?

According to newly released census statistics, the wealthiest 10% of Americans, those making more than $138,000 each year, earned 11.4% times the roughly $12,000 made by those living near or below the poverty line in 2008. What is your personal belief on the matter of the wealthiest earning more than 11 times the amount of the poverty line?

The unemployment rate hit 10.2% in October. That means 15.7 million Americans are out of work. The number of filed bankruptcies jumped to 9% as well. Also in October, 937,840 homes had received a foreclosure letter. Where are some of the major areas and regions in the US that are finding unemployment and homelessness to be a growing concern? What is happening to families in those areas?

What are statistics on children who are now homeless such as percentage of homeless children in regards to the homeless population, risks, education, and health concerns? How do you believe this will effect future generations and families?

While National Health spending is expected to reach $2.5 trillion in 2009 , what do you believe should be done to make it easier on individual families(socialist healthcare, capitalist healthcare, other)? Do you have any graphs or statistics to back your conclusions?

Employers are finding that healthcare is now the biggest expense they have to pay. It is possible that by 2019, healthcare costs paid by employers could reach $850 billion. How do you believe this affects the work place in relation to hiring? Would those who have families instead of someone who is single have a harder time of getting hired?

How the Recent Recession Has Affected Families

By: Ashley Keating, Ashley Brocker, Alyssa Ricci, and Zachary Browning

Below are some facts and charts we pulled from a few articles on Recession.org.

The median household income fell 3.6% last year to $50,303. This was the steepest year over year drop in forty years. Hispanics had the largest decline in median income at 5.6%. For Asians, it fell 4.4%, blacks 2.8%, and whites 2.6%. Men working full time saw a 1% decline in their income, while women fell to 1.9%. But the hardest hit are children. The child poverty rate is 19%. The poverty rate overall, at 13.2% is the highest since 1997. These hard times have had many people reach for a government safety net. People who may never have asked for help before are now turning to programs such as food stamps. The number of people covered by government health insurance has increased by 4.4 million people. An astounding 15.4% of Americans say they lacked health insurance throughout the entire year.
Those over the age of 65 saw a rise in income of 1.2%. The best off 5% of households went from 21.2% in 2007, to 21.5% in 2008. Not surprisingly, half of all income went to the top fifth of American households. According to newly released census figures, the wealthiest 10% of Americans, those making more than $138,000 each year, earned 11.4% times the roughly $12,000 made by those living near or below the poverty line in 2008. While the richest Americans may be seeing reductions in executive pay, those at the bottom of the income ladder are often unemployed and struggling to get by.
The number of Americans filing personal bankruptcies surged 9% in October and were on target for the highest annual total in four years. The American Bankruptcy Institute, an industry research firm that relies on data from the National Bankruptcy Research Center, said 135,914 consumers filed for bankruptcy last month. Maureen Thompson, legislative director for the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys in Washington, said “many middle income families are struggling after being unemployed for longer than anticipated. And with their home values lower, interest rates higher and credit lines reducing, they are being forced to declare bankruptcy.” People carry an average of about $46,000 in debt - mortgages, credit cards, auto loans and other consumer debt.
The unemployment rate hit 10.2% in October. This equaled 15.7 million Americans who are out of work. Plus the workers forced to settle for part-time work or those who have simply given up looking, and the rate is 17.5%. A much larger share of jobs these days - more than four out of five - are in the service sector, such as tax preparers, hair stylists and retail clerks. Those jobs generally pay less and offer fewer benefits than blue-collar manufacturing work.
Despite concerted government-led and lender-supported efforts to prevent foreclosures, the number of filings hit a record high during the third quarter. During that time, 937,840 homes received a foreclosure letter -- whether a default notice, auction notice or bank repossession -- according to RealtyTrac, the online marketer of foreclosed homes. That means one in every 136 U.S. homes were in foreclosure, which is a 5% increase from the second quarter and a 23% jump over the third quarter of 2008.

Here are some facts found on the National Coalition on Health Care, NCHC.org

Facts on the Cost of Health Insurance and Health Care

Health care spending continues to rise at a rapid rate forcing businesses to cut back on health insurance coverage and forcing many families to cut back on basic necessities such as food and electricity and, in some cases, shelters and homes.
Experts agree that our health care system is riddled with inefficiencies, excessive administrative expenses, inflated prices, poor management and inappropriate care, waste and fraud. These problems increase the cost of medical care associated with government health programs like Medicare and Medicaid, and health insurance for employers and workers and affect the security of families.
National Health Care Spending
• National health spending is expected to reach $2.5 trillion in 2009, accounting for 17.6 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). By 2018, national health care expenditures are expected to reach $4.4 trillion—more than double 2007 spending.
• National health expenditures are expected to increase faster than the growth in GDP: between 2008 and 2018, the average increase in national health expenditures is expected to be 6.2 percent per year, while the GDP is expected to increase only 4.1 percent per year.
• In just three years, the Medicare and Medicaid programs will account for 50 percent of all national health spending.
• Medicare's Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund is expected to pay out more in hospital benefits and other expenditures this year than it receives in taxes and other dedicated revenues. In addition, the Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance (SMI) Trust Fund that pays for physician services and the prescription drug benefit will continue to require general revenue financing and charges on beneficiaries that will grow substantially faster than the economy and beneficiary incomes over time.
• According to one study, of the $2.1 trillion the U.S. spent on health care in 2006, nearly $650 billion was above what we would expect to spend based on the level of U.S. wealth versus other nations. These additional costs are attributable to $436 billion outpatient care and another $186 billion of spending related to high administrative costs.
Employer and Employee Health Insurance Costs
Over the last decade, employer-sponsored health insurance premiums have increased 131 percent.
Employees have seen their share of job-based coverage increase at nearly the same rate during this period jumping from $1,543 to $3,515.
The cumulative increase in employer-sponsored health insurance premiums rose at four times the rate of inflation and wage increases during last decade. This increase has made it much more difficult for businesses to continue to provide coverage to their employees and for those workers to afford coverage themselves.
• The average employer-sponsored premium for a family of four costs close to $13,400 a year, and the employee foots about 27 percent of this cost. Health insurance costs are the fastest growing expense for employers. Employer health insurance costs overtook profits in 2008, and the gap grows steadily.
• Total health insurance costs for employers could reach nearly $850 billion by 2019. Individual and family spending will jump considerably from $326 billion in 2009 to $550 billion in 2019.
• The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that job-based health insurance could increase 100 percent over the next decade. Employer-based family insurance costs for a family of four will reach nearly $25,000 per year by 2018 absent health care reform.
The Impact of Rising Health Care Costs
• Economists have found that rising health care costs correlate with significant drops in health insurance coverage, and national surveys also show that the primary reason people are uninsured is due to the high and escalating cost of health insurance coverage.
• A recent study found that 62 percent of all bankruptcies filed in 2007 were linked to medical expenses. Of those who filed for bankruptcy, nearly 80 percent had health insurance.
• According to another published article, about 1.5 million families lose their homes to foreclosure every year due to unaffordable medical costs.
• Without health care reform, small businesses will pay nearly $2.4 trillion dollars over the next ten years in health care costs for their workers, 178,000 small business jobs will be lost by 2018 as a result of health care costs, $834 billion in small business wages will be lost due to high health care costs over the next ten years, small businesses will lose $52.1 billion in profits to high health care costs and 1.6 million small business workers will suffer “job lock“— roughly one in 16 people currently insured by their employers.

Below are some charts we found on statehealthfacts.org

Massachusetts: Poverty Rate by Family Structure, states (2007-2008), U.S. (2008)
________________________________________

Poverty Rate by Family Structure, states (2007-2008), U.S. (2008)

Adults with Children 157,600 12% 9,379,400 14%
Adults with No Children 395,500 15% 21,490,700 18%
Total 553,100 14% 30,870,100 17%


Massachusetts: Population Distribution by Household Employment Status, states (2007-2008), U.S. (2008)
________________________________________

Population Distribution by Household Employment Status, states (2007-2008), U.S. (2008)

At Least 1 Full Time Worker 4,512,700 71% 215,678,600 72%
Part Time Workers 560,500 9% 25,299,000 8%
Non Workers 1,301,600 20% 59,566,600 20%
Total 6,374,700 100% 300,544,200 100%


Massachusetts: Unemployment Rate (Seasonally Adjusted), 2008-2009
________________________________________

Unemployment Rate (Seasonally Adjusted), 2008-2009

September 2008 191 5.6% 9,592 6.2%
September 2009 320 9.3% 15,142 9.8%

Massachusetts: Monthly Number of Persons Participating in the Food Stamp Program
________________________________________

Monthly Number of Persons Participating in the Food Stamp Program

August 2008 537,675 29,459,942
July 2009 674,552 35,851,179
August 2009 687,117 36,491,920

*Finally, below is an article found on contemporaryfamilies.org. It is a somewhat long article, so don’t feel you have to read the whole thing, but it has some very interesting facts. Such as the effects on marriages, children, parenting, loans for college, etc. It says that the report was done before the recent economy crisis, so you could only imagine how much worse things could be now!

THE EFFECT OF THE ECONOMIC CRISIS ON FAMILIES

A Briefing Paper prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families by
Stephanie Coontz and Valerie Adrian, The Evergreen State College
June 19, 2008
In the following paper, we summarize the extent of the unfolding economic crisis in America and then discuss its many effects on families, from the direct impact of economic stress to less obvious effects such as deteriorating schools, changes in eating habits, and even families' ability to take care of their pets.

AMERICANS CAUGHT BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE:
THE HARD PLACE: OUR HOUSING CRISIS
In just 10 years, between 1996 and 2006, Americans saw the value of their houses double. As housing prices outstripped the capacity of many people to engage traditional home-buying practices and financing, it encouraged recklessness in some and desperation in others. Many people became nervous that if they didn't buy soon, they would never be able to afford a home. Others decided they could afford to spend beyond their means, because the home would continue to rise in value. The rule of thumb used to be that a home should cost 2 1⁄2 times a person's annual salary or less, and that the purchaser should have enough cash to put down 10-20 percent of the purchase price. For instance, a person or couple making $100,000 could buy a $250,000 home, and put down somewhere between 25,000 and 50,000, depending on their credit. But as home prices soared, many prospective purchasers could not buy a decent home for even three times their annual salary. Many lenders and borrowers turned to "creative financing," discarding the traditional safeguards against foreclosure.
First to go was the demand for a cash down payment. In 2004, 42 percent of first-time home buyers had no down payment at all. But lenders did not stop there. Interest-only loans, adjustable rate mortgages, and a combination of the two became increasingly commonplace. With an interest-only loan, a borrower pays only the interest for a set amount of time; then the loan resets and the principal is added onto the payment as well. With an adjustable-rate mortgage, the borrower pays on both principle and interest, but at a low rate that will later jump up to market value.
These strategies make sense for borrowers whose incomes are sure to go up in the future. If a student is almost finished with school, for example, and is guaranteed to generate significantly more income in a few years, an interest-only loan is a good way to lock in a lower price. Unfortunately, many people with no hope of higher incomes were also allowed to buy into these mortgage plans. In California, for instance, 60 percent of new mortgages the first half of 2005 were interest-only, despite the improbability that this many people would see a significant jump in income.
Sooner or later, something had to give. In the first three months of 2008, there was a 112 percent increase in foreclosure filings compared to the same period in 2007. In April of this year, 243,353 homeowners received notice of foreclosure and 80,926 had their homes foreclosed -- an increase of 12 percent over the figures for March and a 65 percent increase compared to foreclosures in April of last year. There are currently 1.1 million homes, 2.5% of all loans, in foreclosure, and more than 6 percent of the remaining mortgages are at least one payment behind. Last month was the 29th consecutive month of increases in the foreclosure rates. One in every 483 U.S. households either lost their home to foreclosure, received a default notice or was warned of a pending auction. Foreclosures will account for 30 percent of national home sales this year, driving down the sale price of all homes on the market. During the first quarter of this year, housing prices fell 14.1 percent, the sharpest downturn since the Standard & Poor's index's inception 20 years ago.
When a house goes into foreclosure, neighboring houses experience an immediate decrease in value, averaging $3,000 each. As a house sits vacant and lawns become overgrown, the entire neighborhood gets harder to keep up. Vacant homes attract vandals, drug users, and squatters. Many middle-class homeowners in hard-hit states now find themselves plagued with problems they once thought were unique to the inner cities.
Renters suffer too. They may be up to date on their payments, but if the house is foreclosed, they must leave. In Franklin County, Ohio, approximately 70 percent of foreclosure evictions are delivered to tenants. This trend may get worse: In 2006, 42% of mortgages taken out for investment property carried adjustable rate mortgages.

THE ROCK: SOARING PRICES
Meanwhile, oil prices have gone through the roof, causing food prices to soar. Every piece of produce that isn't grown locally is delivered to a store by a truck that runs on diesel, which now costs over $5 a gallon.
In terms of gas costs, city dwellers may be more fortunate than rural families, despite having to bring their food in from further away. Nationwide, Americans now spend about 4 percent of their take-home income on gasoline. In rural areas of the South, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming and North and South Dakota, where commutes to work are especially long, the percentage of family income that goes to gas is more than three times higher than that.
In the fall, Americans will experience yet another effect of high oil prices. The current price for home heating oil in Maine, is $4.60 gallon, a 70 percent increase over last year. This winter, middle-class American may experience the "heat or eat" dilemma that physicians report already afflicts many poorer Americans.

THE CRUNCH
All these factors have contributed to a fall in real wages, as rising living costs cut into salaries, and have also caused a rise in unemployment and underemployment In the past 5 months, 324,000 jobs have been lost, and in May, unemployment took its biggest leap in more than 20 years. Especially hard hit has been the construction industry, a trend that has a disproportionate impact on Hispanic families, since construction is a prime source of work for blue-collar Hispanic men. But the transportation and manufacturing industries, traditionally a source of "family wage" jobs for men without a college degree, in all racial-ethnic groups, have also suffered.
The unemployment rate does not count people who are not looking for work, even if they would like to have a job. In March the Labor Department reported that the jobless rate had topped 13 percent for men in the prime age group of 25-54. Only once before since World War II has the rate gotten that high. Some of these men may be in school or have taken early retirement, but many are "discouraged" workers, who have given up actively looking for work.
Blue collar workers who are not laid off are less likely to earn middle-class incomes than in the past: Analyses of family budgets suggest that a wage of $20 an hour, or $41,600 per year, is the minimum necessary to put a family into the middle class. According to calculations by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of hourly workers in manufacturing who earn that much is down nearly 60 percent since 1979, and it is sliding month by month, as airlines and automotive industries create two-tier hiring structures and exact wage concessions from employees.
Workers whose hourly pay has not been cut are often forced to take a reduction in hours. There has been a tremendous spike in workers who have a job but cannot get enough hours to earn a living wage. They are often expected to be on call, which doesn't leave them time for a second job.
Employees who rely on commissions and tips are also feeling the pinch. At least 1 out of every five American workers earns variable pay, and many of them have seen their incomes shrink substantially. Meanwhile the 20 million small business owners and 5 million "micro" business owners and their employees are experiencing declines in spending and patronage by customers.
Even before the current crisis, income instability was on the rise: Nearly 10 percent of workers in the early 2000s suffered from a loss of income of 50 percent or more, compared to only 4 percent in the early 1970s.

WHAT DOES THE CRUNCH MEAN FOR FAMILIES?
Both job loss and sharp fluctuations in income are highly correlated with marital instability. And the inability of many families to sell their homes has also led to a growing number of couples deciding that one must follow the job while the other holds down the house. One organization that tracks job mobility reports a 50 percent increase over the past four years in the number of commuter marriages, where spouses live in different cities. Such separations, whether temporary or permanent, are hard on both adults and children. But children face many other risks in this economy, even when their parents manage to stay together.
EFFECTS OF THE HOUSING CRISIS ON CHILDREN AND TEENS
According to the Washington D.C. policy group, First Focus, 2 million children are directly affected by the sub-prime mortgage crisis. This number does not include the children who live in rentals and will receive eviction notices as their homeowners fail to pay the mortgage. Nor does it include children whose parents have conventional mortgages and are facing foreclosure. More than 130,000 children in Florida and 312,000 in California will be evicted in 2008 and 2009.
Eviction often means that children must change schools, in many cases more than once,
as families use interim housing before finding a more permanent place. When children change schools frequently, their work and behavior can suffer. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, children who change schools two or more times in a school year are twice as likely to perform below grade level in reading and math as students who remain in the same school. Frequent moves also contribute to higher drop out rates.
School relocation is particularly detrimental for teens, who rely more on their peer groups and have a tougher time joining new ones, than younger children. In fact, school relocation during mid-year is more highly associated with teen delinquency than is divorce. Teens who move frequently are 77 percent more likely to have four or more behavior issues and 20 percent more likely to exhibit violent behavior in high school than their more residentially-stable peers.
Even when children don't switch schools, the housing crisis can hurt their education, because school funding depends largely upon property taxes, which fall when home values drop. Schools are also one of the few tax projects on which voters can directly say yea or nay. With less money in their bank accounts and more money in their gas tanks, voters are less likely to approve tax increases for schools.
JOB LOSS AND FINANCIAL STRAIN INCREASE THE RISK OF IMPAIRED PARENTING
One of the main ways that children are hurt by unemployment and income loss, even at levels well above the poverty line, is through the increase in stress and depression that their parents experience. Parents with steady incomes, secure housing, and access to community support networks are those least likely to use punitive methods of childrearing. Conversely, economically-distressed parents tend to use harsh or inconsistent discipline even when they recognize and feel guilty about its effects. Parenting practices also become harsher and less consistent when parents are experiencing marital conflict, which is also heightened by job loss and housing insecurity.
Most of the effect of economic loss on children is channeled through deterioration in parenting practices, but there's a direct impact too. Economic loss has been found to increase kids' vulnerability to peer pressure. Children who experience economic loss often become depressed and less motivated, and their lowered aspirations may have long-range consequences in their lives.
In extreme cases, economic stress can trigger outright child abuse. In Florida, for example, The Exchange Club CASTLE, a child abuse prevention organization in Fort Pierce, reports that its May referral list for abuse and neglect was twice the normal size. The Department of Children and Families' hotline of Palm Beach County Florida now receives 900-plus more calls per month than a year ago.

FOOD AND NUTRITION ISSUES
Even when parents continue to parent effectively, food insecurity is a real threat to children in these difficult times. March 2008 saw a 1.5 million (5.7 percent) increase in the food stamp rolls from the previous year. March's enrollment of 27.88 million people represents a 219,000 person increase from February.
Twenty-five percent of American households with children are food insecure, which means people in those homes cut back on portions or skip meals in order to stretch the food out to last all day. America's Second Harvest – The Nation's Food Bank Network – surveyed 180 food banks nationwide in April, and found that 99% have seen a substantial increase in the number of people seeking help, while donations have fallen off. Food Bank for New York City, the number one food pantry for the city, has experienced a 47 percent drop in food donations this year. Congress' farm bill will provide some relief to the food insecure by giving money to food programs, including food pantries, but help will not arrive until October. Sometimes families have to choose between feeding themselves and feeding their pets, a problem that may seem trivial until you have to tell your 6-year-old that the family dog must be given away. The SPCA in Santa Cruz, CA, which runs a food bank for pets, has seen a 20 percent spike in demand over the past six months.
The need to economize in hard times also affects children's (and adults') nutrition in other ways. One ironic consequence of economic stress tends to be obesity, as consumers substitute cheaper food that can fill them up. Junk food costs an average of $1.76 per 1,000 calories, while unprocessed foods run $18.16 per 1,000 calories. A recent marketing poll found that a third of all households had begun to substitute boxed or frozen goods for fresh ones.

COLLEGE EDUCATIONS AT RISK
One of the unanticipated consequences of the debt crisis has been that lenders have begun to deny student loans, not on the basis of a student's financial profile, but on the school the student attends. Some of the country's largest banks are turning down loan applications for students planning to attend community colleges and second- or third-tier universities. Forty percent of America's undergraduates attend community college, and for many lower-income students these are the only option.

DIFFERENT EFFECTS OF THE ECONOMIC CRISIS BY AGE, RACE, AND GENDER
Thirty million Americans are over age 65, and with the average social security payment set at $1,079, there is not much of a margin to cover rising medical, prescription, food, and gas bills. Since more than a third of retired Americans help their children financially, according to a recent AARP poll, their financial troubles may trickle down to their children and grandchildren as well.
The AARP reports that the majority of baby boomers (aged 44-62) say they are struggling to make ends meet. Sixty percent have cut back on extras and 25 percent report having trouble paying their mortgage. Young adults aged 25-35 have their own issues. Many are still paying off student loans, and 35 percent are not saving for retirement at all.
As is so often the case, African Americans and Hispanics are at higher risk both for job loss and foreclosure than are whites. Studies consistently show that even where black and white families earn the same yearly income, African-Americans have much lower levels of accumulated wealth, largely because their mobility has been more recent and they did not inherit homes or assets from earlier generations. More than half of all mortgages granted to African Americans in 2006 were sub-prime. In fact, a family living in an upper-middle class African American neighborhood is twice as likely to have a sub-prime mortgage as a lower-middle class white family. Hispanics were also over-represented in the sub-prime housing market. Given the continuing residential segregation in America, foreclosures on such homes will disproportionately affect African-American and Hispanic neighborhoods.
In the recession of 2001-2004, women lost jobs at a higher rate than men. In the first 6 months of this recession, the reverse was true. From November 2007 through April 2008, men lost 700,000 jobs, especially in traditional "family-wage" occupations such as manufacturing and construction. Women, by contrast, gained almost 300,000 jobs, since female-dominated fields such as health care have remained strong.
No one is "winning" any gender battles here, though. The pay gap between men and women had been narrowing for several years, but has recently begun to increase again. Women’s real wages, which rose throughout the 1980s and 1990s, dropped between 2007 and 2004.
And a disturbing Congressional study release in July 2008 suggests that the short-term gains for women in the early phases of this recession may not last. Long-term trends in the economy, which encouraged and rewarded women’s employment from the 1960s through the 1990s, seem now to be discouraging women from staying in the workforce. The percentage of women holding paid jobs in the prime work years, 25-54, peaked in 2000 and has since declined, despite the increase in jobs between November and April. When economists first noticed that women were dropping out of the workforce, many commentators assumed that they were doing so to stay home with their children. But economist Heather Boushey, a senior economist at the Joint Economic Committee of Congress, has found that the trend is not concentrated among mothers, but affects all women – married and unmarried, non-mothers, mothers with small children, and mothers with teens. Men’s workforce participation has been declining for some years; now women’s is declining too, and probably for the same reasons – stagnating wages and a difficult job market, causing many women to become discouraged and encouraging some to drop out of the labor market. Since women bring home, on average, a third of family income -- and often much more when their husbands face job difficulties -- this trend is far more worrisome for family well-being than it seemed when we thought women might be dropping out because the family could afford to have one person stay home with the children.

Summary of Family Representation in the Media

There is still an idealization of the nuclear family being represented in the media and that can be seen throughout the decades with shows such as; ‘The Brady Bunch’ (1970’s), ‘Family Ties’ (1980’s), and ‘7th Heaven’ (1990’s). The difference between the decades is that as the years progressed, the family bonds stayed in the shows but real life issues began to be discussed instead of being nonexistent.
The most important feature our group wanted to convey was how the individual’s portrayal began to change with the course of time as well. Fathers were no longer just seen as the working provider, mothers were not only seen as wives and homemakers, and children started behaving badly; shedding their good image in favor of situations more closely based in reality. The popularity of television over time has increased in great numbers and a prime reason could be the focus of television shows to gain a wider audience by broadening their viewpoint. People began to identify with characters on their favorite TV shows because they shared similar personality traits or life situations. It was no longer taboo to admit that you came from a single parent household because the media helped show that it wasn’t an isolated situation, it was happening to families everywhere and they were able to function afterward perfectly fine.
At the helm of all of this change was the government run agency the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This corporation was created to regulate what the public hears and sees in the media. Controlling what we see on TV, this group is able to say whether or not a show can be aired and it is able to place restrictions on shows they feel are getting out of hand. Society still plays a large role in how a show is received, but the FCC controls what can be seen. A popular show in current times, ‘Family Guy’, created a spoof directly toward the FCC because they were told to restrain themselves in their story lines. Their topics are often a little crazy but they are all in the sake of comedy. So, we leave you with this clip summarizing the current view on the FCC and their often silly restrictions of modern day shows. Because even though television has made progress with what is depicted, ridiculous restrictions can still be placed on topics that are based in real life.

Family in the Media: Current Day

Television has recently addressed many new family issues. The wide array of family structures are now common and accepted. Shows such as Reba and Two and a Half Men portray to the viewers that there are many types of family situations. Reba addresses issues such as divorce, single motherhood, and teenage pregnancy. Reba's son Jake, teenage daughter Cheyenne, Cheyenne's husband Van, and their daughter Elizabeth all live in Reba's house. Reba's ex-husband Brock lives right next door with their daughter Kyra, his new wife Barbara Jean and their young son Henry. This unconventional living situation is accompanied by the close relationship amongst ALL of the family members. This show is showing the viewers that the "mother, father, and children" idea of a household is no longer the only way to live. Two and a Half Men also share this message. Charlie is a jingle writer with a large house on the beach that he shares with his divorced brother, Alan, and his nephew, Alan's son, Jake. Charlie is a man that has had many women in and out of the house, while Alan is nearly the opposite from his brother. Their living situation as well as their lifestyles also contradict what society once viewed as the norm.


-Do you think these current show correctly depict the multitude of family structures current in our society today?

Teenagers in the Media

While the family representation has changed over the course of television history, none can deny the pivotal changes that have been made when it comes to the representation of teenagers. Early in television, teenagers were seen as morally sound and well behaved. Over time however, more risks have been taken when it comes to their representation in prime time. The adage of “sex sells” has come into play and viewers enjoy watching their favorite characters take part in situations that are deemed “unsavory” by criticisms of the time.
Television began moving away from the portrayal of innocent teenagers starting more in the 1970’s. Shows such as ‘One Day at a Time’ dealt with issues of birth control and pre marital sex with the teenage girl Julie Cooper- far from the representation the Brady kids were giving off during the same decade. These were issues that teens were actually dealing with and that is what gave the ratings such a good boost, even if critics were not always counted as fans.
In the 1990’s, teenage television essentially got its own network with the formation of ‘The WB’. Every night there was a lineup of at least two shows that revolved around teenagers. ‘Dawson’s Creek’, ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’, ‘Roswell’, ‘7th Heaven’, among many others, consumed the teenage television market. Least not forget the ever popular ‘Beverly Hills 90210’ which was aired for ten years before its cancellation. Whatever the premise of the show, they all touched base on issues that people could relate to. Pregnancy scares, love triangles, fights, parties, all became a part of the sensationalism that became teenage life. Some wondered if people actually lived this way, some did, others didn’t, but no one could escape the popularity their story lines captured.
Currently, one of the most watched shows among teenage girls would be ‘Gossip Girl’. A show about Upper East Side teens, the main characters are often seen scheming to bring others misery while simultaneously trying to balance friendship and their love lives. This group of teenagers is a stark difference to how teenagers were portrayed when television started to become popular and mainstream.
Has television gone too far in their portrayal of teenage debauchery? –Has it become more sensationalized over time, breaking too far away from reality?
Why do you think that teens gained such a popular role in television? What, overtime, has allowed for the change to occur?
What show did you feel growing up captured the true essence of teenagers?

Representation of the Family in Media

The 1990s

Throughout the 90s Full House was extremely popular television show especailly among families. Other than it's positive family messages and helpful advice, the show pushed the boundaries of how families were represented in the media during this time. The show consisted of a motherless family and a father left to raise three children on his own. Danny Tanner, the father, cooked, cleaned, and financially supported his family. Danny played both roles of mother and father, and found help raising his three children from his brother in-law, Jesse, and best friend, Joey. The only motherly figure of the show was introduced a couple seasons in when Jesse married. She acted as the female presence the growing girls needed during their time of adolescence. The show dealt with average issues teenage daughters deal with such as relationship problems, problems at school, breaking curfew, so on and so forth. However when the male perspective was not sensitive enough, the show had Jesse's wife, Rebecca, give Danny advice on how to deal with his daughter's issues and sometimes dealt with the daughter's problems directly. At the end of every Full House episode was a message to help families similar to the tanners deal with their family issues. The show was also a great representation of how an unconventional family with conventional problems can be as supportive and functional as the "traditional" family was and is decades ago.

Discussion Questions:

How does this modern family differ from the stereotypical "traditional" family?

In your opinion, why do you think the writers of this show chose to use a single father opposed to a single mother?

Do you believe that a family with out the presence of both mother and father is as functional and supportive as a family with them?

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Representation of Family in the Media: 1970's and 1980's

The 1970's

The Brady Bunch was a popular show in the 1970’s that tried to go back to the traditional family values. During the 70’s many shows were trying to show that certain social norms were changing, but the creators of The Brady Bunch wanted to bring people back to the traditional values of a family. The mother cooks and cleans, while the father is the one that goes to work and makes the money. It was very noticeable while watching this show that Mike, the father, was definitely the bread winner and the head of household. Mike was always the one to explain the lessons that the children should have learned after getting in trouble. He was the power figure, the dominant male. Although in the show Mike is a widower and Carol, the mother, is a widow that is not how it was originally written. Carol was originally written as being a divorced single mother; the writers changed this within the first episode. The Brady Bunch rarely addressed any political or social issues that were occurring in that time. When any such issue was addressed it was done so in a very subtle manner. When the show addressed women’s liberation and gender equality it was seen simply in the siblings fighting. African Americans were rarely seen in the show at all. The show may never have made the top ten lists of Neilsen ratings, but it had been viewed as one of America’s most important sitcoms in the 1970’s.


Discussion Questions:

Why do you think the producers felt the need to bring people back to traditional family values?

What do you think the reasoning for changing Carol from a divorced woman to a widow was?

Why was Mike always the one to punish the children or teach lessons while Carol just agreed with what he felt was right?

The 1980's

The Cosby Show sparked much controversy about race and class in America. The show aired from 1984 to 1992, it revived the television genre of situation comedy which saved the NBC network. The Cosby family was an upper-middle class black family. This show portrayed a black family in a way that contradicted how black families had previously been portrayed on television. Cliff, the father, was a respected gynecologist and Claire, the mother, was a successful attorney. Their two older children attended prestigious colleges, while their son had a wonderful relationship with his father and the two younger daughters mainly experienced Cliff’s “hilarious child-rearing routines”. The viewers saw the Huxtable home as “classy”. The producers actually brought in a psychiatrist to help them portray a family and a home that broke common stereotypes against blacks. Many other shows that were focused on black families at the time accentuated such as Sanford and Son, Good Times, and The Jeffersons.


Notice the differences between these two clips the first is from Sanford and Son and the second is from The Cosby Show






Just starting with the appearance of the house where the shows take place. The Cosby household is neat and organized the jazz music as a nice touch to the “classy” feel that the viewers got when watching the show. The Sanford household is cluttered and messy. The focus of conversation in The Cosby Show is educated; they talk of music and higher education. In the Sanford and Son clip the characters sound uneducated and speak with a stereotypical African American accent. This is how the black family was often portrayed to viewers, The Cosby Show was able to break that trend and give an opportunity for blacks on television in the future.

Discussion Questions:

Why do you think the producers of The Cosby Show decided to break the stereotypes of blacks?

What effects do you think the shows of this time that portrayed the black stereotypes had on the viewers and families?

Do you think that The Cosby Show was able to change any effects the stereotypical shows had caused on families and how they dealt with diversity?

Representation of the Family in the Media: The 1960's

 

This week we will be looking at how the media has represented the family in television shows. Throughout the week, we will post information on a given decade starting with the 1960’s. As you read, you will be able to see the changes that have been made over time and learn the impact the portrayals have had on family life.

Television shows in the 1960’s marked a time when the family sitcom began slowly moving away from the ideals of the 1950’s. There were still plenty of shows that represented the nuclear family that consisted of the father being the bread winner, the mother a stay at home housewife raising the children, and the children following the rules and never stepping out of line. Shows such as ‘Leave it to Beaver’ were still popular and included stories of white- middle class families that still practiced the racial and ethnic exclusion typically seen in suburban life. It was during this decade that we were able to see the rise of the suburban domestic comedy and shows that revolved around a supernatural “fantastic family”.

The nuclear family was replaced by a ‘counter programming’ trend that involved shows revolving around broken, single parent families. Even though the divorce rate was rising throughout the 60’s, censorship codes demanded that single parent households were not by choice, but were caused by death of the spouse absent from the family. These shows began to dominate the prime time line up along with the supernatural comedies such as ‘Bewitched’ and ‘The Munsters’.

Comparing nuclear vs. fantastic:

A popular show most associate to be the quintessential nuclear family was ‘Leave it to Beaver’ which aired from 1957-1963. Ward and June Cleaver were middle class suburbanites raising their two boys Wallace ‘Wally’ and Theodore ‘Beaver’. Ward was the breadwinner for the Cleaver family and was in charge of decision making and disciplinarian action with the children. June was the ‘dream’ housewife- always caring for the children, doing housework, and fixing dinner every night by the time her husband was home from work. She was able to do all of this while wearing fitted dresses, high heels, and a smile. The children were always polite and rarely got into trouble and when they did, they would always learn an important moral lesson by the end of the 30 min time spot.

‘Bewitched’ first aired in 1964 and was on until it was canceled in 1972. The premise of the show was a witch, Samantha Stevens, trying to live her life as a newlywed free of magic. Though Samantha was portrayed as a housewife, it was often shown that she would initiate and win arguments against her husband Darren. Feminine power is a recurring theme in ‘Bewitched’ and is portrayed prominently with Samantha’s mother, Endora. Endora never liked Darren and was often shown insulting him and casting unfriendly spells on him. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, whether that is because of her dislike of mortals or men, she never let situations change her personality. 

‘Bewitched’ was a prolific show because it dared to show situations in a prime time comedy that were considered taboo before. Samantha and Darren were the first couple in television history to appear in the same bed together. Samantha’s mother and father were openly divorced and often insulting toward one another when put in the same scenes. Racism was also touched upon in multiple episodes. A story, submitted by a tenth grade English class, involved Samantha’s daughter Tabitha and her black friend alter their skin colors so their peers would treat them equally. 

Why do you think television shows began to evolve around non-nuclear families?

Do you think that 'Bewitched' was a stepping stone for future shows to be more daring? 

Why do you think shows revolving around "fantastic" and broken families gained immense popularity during this time?

Summing Up Blog #3 on Media Images of the Family: I Love Lucy

Thank you to everyone who participated in our blog this week! Our topic was intended to not only show the media images of I Love Lucy in relation to the 1950's, but to also be fun. I Love Lucy is clearly seen as a classic TV show just by the fact that everyone is still watching and talking about it. It is also clear that I Love Lucy not only supported the societal norms of the 50's, but also pushed the boundaries. When looking at the posts and discussions from students throughout the week, there is clearly a difference of opinions on some of the topics which is great by allowing people to view different aspects of the show in different lights. A lot of people believed that the extreme behaviors in the show that both supported and went against the societal norms were not intentional, but rather for comedic purposes. Some people believed that even if there were some signs of going against the societal norms of the 50's, like Lucy talking back to her husband or trying to attain equal rights, it was not that important because in their opinion, Lucy is always just "put back into her place". Others, however, believed that even though Lucy was at times "put back into her place", the fact that Lucy acted out was still a step towards breaking the gender norms seen in the family system, whether intentional or not.

The "Equal Rights" episode is a great example of showing the sexual scripts women and men followed and their different ideas of equal rights in the 50's. Ethel telling Lucy that they should not have been trying to change anything because it was not worth it, really sparked up a conversation and it would have been interesting to see what people thought about the ending. The ending of the show actually shows Ricky and Fred agreeing that Lucy and Ethel deserve equal rights, and even if it may not be fully shown in all of the episodes, the fact that Lucy and Ethel won in this case, is HUGE! Also, learning that Lucille Ball was the first women to be part owner of her own production company, Desilu productions, may have also influenced people to look at the show in a more pushing the boundaries aspect, because of the strong individuality of Lucille Ball herself.

Other than the situations and interactions between the characters on the show, portraying the support and non-support of the 50's, there was also a lot of other aspects of the show that made it unique for it's time which are hard to be argued. The fact the I Love Lucy was one of the first shows to show an exogamous relationship, discussing birth, and giving birth to a multi-racial child are truly important aspects of the show that cannot be ignored. These aspects of the show were clearly beginning to take steps towards showing families on TV that were similar to those in reality. One student asked if the show had ever gotten hate mail because of this, but we are not sure. Even if they had, however, the show was still a huge success which may mean that the majority of people really did not have a problem with I Love Lucy.

So, we hope that the class enjoyed learning about the different aspects of I Love Lucy, it's portrayal of the family, and also seeing first hand examples through the "Equal Rights" episode. As mentioned in the first post, television often portrays the "normal" family through contradictory messages. I Love Lucy is a perfect example of this and even so, will always be a classic that will never be forgotten.

Thank you again from,
Michael, Jessica, Lauren, Meghan, & Madison!

Please Enjoy our Formal Closing!

Summary of the "Equal Rights" Episode

In the final part of the "Equal Rights" episode, Lucy and Ethel end up teaching Ricky and Fred a valuable lesson in equality and humility. The men successfully pull a prank on Lucy and Ethel but the women quickly turn the tables and end up having their husbands arrested and thrown in jail. Of course they eventually sorted things out with police and the men were released, but Ricky and Fred were forced to think about their actions and realize that things won't always go their way. In the end, the couples were happily reunited and the realization of how important equal rights are became a reality.

Although it was a very comedic take on a serious issue, this episode reflects how the 50's culture viewed equal rights as somewhat of a joke at times. It is important to note how I Love Lucy set a precedent for depicting men and women equally within the family as well as society. This episode goes along with this week’s discussion on how I Love Lucy seems to have contradictory themes of supporting AND pushing the boundaries of the 1950’s. Lucy's efforts were continually thwarted, but her ambitions were never broken. Viewers regularly witnessed Lucy in roles that women in the 50's were typically never thought of having or succeeding in.

Some Questions to Think About:

Which points in the episode stood out the most to you?

Do you think that it portrayed an accurate depiction of families in the fifties? Why or why not?

Any other comments?

"Equal Rights" Clip #4

This is the final clip for the "Equal Rights" episode. We are not going to leave a description because we do not want to give away the ending. ENJOY!!!!!

Questions to Consider:

Did you expect the show to end the way it did?

What do you think about the ending in general?

Any other comments?

I Love Lucy Pushing the Boundaries of the 1950's

Although I Love Lucy did portray the ideals and societal norms of the 50’s, there are also portrayals of a more modern day family. One example of a similarity between how the family is portrayed in I Love Lucy and families today would be their portrayal of exogamy. Having Lucy and Ricky being in an interethnic relationship, and being married out of their particular social group, definitely began to push the boundaries for its time. When Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz brought the idea of their show to CBS, they automatically turned it down because CBS believed Desi to be “too ethnic”. However, with Lucille and Desi performing some vaudeville acts to gain people’s support, CBS decided to go ahead with the show. Lucy and Ricky portraying an interethnic relationship, as they had in real life, was the first to do this in its time. This definitely shows what more modern day marriages are like with the United States being a “melting pot” of all different races and ethnicities. Even though in the 50’s people may have still been a little skeptical at the belief of an interethnic marriage, watching I Love Lucy, which millions did, may have shown viewers that this is now becoming the norm and that there is nothing wrong with being married with someone out of your own social group.

As of pushing the boundaries with gender, it is clear that it may not be as obvious as Lucy and Ricky’s exogamous relationship, but in many people’s opinions, it is still present. As feminist Anne Andes puts it, “Lucy is ultimately UNRULEABLE! …No she does not break the rules to make a feminist statement…But in her own rebellious way, she proves that women can break the molds within which their world tries to cast them...” (2007, para. 3). Therefore, even if people may not think that it is intentional, watching Lucy try to break free from her homemaker life, could definitely impact the viewers. Yes, Lucy is usually put back into her place, but occasionally she does get what she wants, and the fact that she is “disobeying” her husband, may have influenced women to do the same. With the amount of viewers, “40,000,000 regularly”, watching I Love Lucy, it would be hard to believe that no one was impacted by Lucy’s rebellious ways (Pan, n.d. para. 2). It is clear that the media impacts viewers, so women must have at least began to question their place in the family and why things were the way they were. Again, if Lucy was a happy housewife, like ads at the time always portrayed wives in the 50’s as being, why would Lucy, living in the same era, be constantly trying to escape it? An article by Wendy Pan explains that “these issues were very real to women in the post war 1950's and were clearly reflected in Lucy's continuous rebelliousness to become part of her husband's world” (n.d., para. 4). Pan explains that the show was depicting reality, just as how Lucy and Ricky’s exogamous marriage was. Therefore, this was pushing the boundaries of its time because reality in television was usually and for the most part nonexistant. Although I Love Lucy on the surface makes light of the issues of reality, and may cover them up with comedy, they were touching upon them nonetheless and are still noticeable.

Another example of I Love Lucy pushing the boundaries in the media would be when Lucy became pregnant. No one had ever brought up pregnancies on television because it was too risqué with its association to sex. However, because Lucille Ball was pregnant in reality, and with the writers explaining to CBS that the show should portray real-life situations, it was allowed. The cast had to actually say that Lucy was “expecting”, as mentioned in a previous post, but the fact that they even brought up the fact that woman can and do get pregnant, especially in this case with a multi-ethnic child, was a huge step in portraying what real families are actually going through. The night Lucille Ball actually gave birth to her son, Desi Jr., was the same night that Lucy Ricardo had her son, Ricky Jr. This was completely intentional and the viewers were clearly ecstatic. There were a total of 54 million people tuned in to watch Lucy’s pregnancy on January 19, 1953, which was more than the viewers who tuned in for President Eisenhower’s inauguration on January 20, 1953 (I Love Lucy, para. 3; Leiban, n.d., para. 6).

References:

Andes, Anna. (2007, May 30). Online Transactions. Message posted to http://vergingwriter.blogspot.com/2007/05/lucy-accidental-feminist.html

I Love Lucy, Retrieved October 20, 2009, from http://www.fiftiesweb.com/i-love-lucy.htm

Leiban, Nina. (n.d.) BALL, LUCILLE: U.S. Actor/Comedienne. Retrieved October 20, 2009, from http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=balllucille

Pan, Wendy. (n.d.). I Love Lucy History Goes on Making History. Retrieved October 23, 2009, from http://ezinearticles.com/?I-Love-Lucy-History-Goes-on-Making-History&id=1525551

Some Questions to Think About:

In general, how do you feel about this information?

Do you agree with the idea of I Love Lucy pushing the boundaries? Why or why not?

What do you think about the fact that more people watched Lucy's birth to Little Ricky than Eisenhower’s inauguration?

I Love Lucy Supporting the Ideals and Societal Norms of The Fifties and "Equal Rights" Clip #2

I Love Lucy Supporting the Ideals and Societal Norms of the Fifties

If one looks deeply into each episode of I Love Lucy, the sexual scripts, roles and behaviors expected of family members in the 1950’s is constantly shown. The way the show, and family, is physically set up, shows a lot about the time it took place. Lucy played a housewife and her husband worked, bringing home all of the money. He allotted her money each month to keep up the house. This includes the bills, the food, and any other aspect that is needed to keep up the physical matnenience of the house. It has been depicted that if Lucy spends too much money and does not have enough for the home, it is her fault, and she must make sacrifices of her everyday life to pay the bills. So, literately, Lucy’s domain is the home, and Ricky’s is bringing in the money. It is Lucy’s job every morning, even though she does not have to wake up for work, to cook Ricky’s breakfast, and have it waiting in the oven or on the table for when he walks into the kitchen.

One episode that is very famous is that of the “Job Switching” episode, when Lucy and Ethel go to work, and Ricky and Fred stay at home and take care of the house. This specific show is famous based on how it was funny that Lucy and Ethel had to shove chocolates in their mouths. Although, the whole premise of the show was that it is completely ridiculous for a women to go out and have to work. The show also shows Rickey and Fred at home attempting to cook and clean, and failing miserably. The whole episode reinforces this idea that women going to work, and men staying at home and doing domestic work, are completely unheard of during this time, just as a fellow classmate stated.

Although Ricky was following the sexual script in his time, another concept that may contribute to his behavior towards Lucy is the fact that Ricky is Cuban-American. In Cuban culture, men are seen as the head of the family, the provider, and the one who makes the decisions. It is also interesting that the fact of Ricky being of Cuban descent does not seem to bother anyone. This could be because he is married to a Caucasian woman, he is an entertainer incorporating his culture (being a Spanish style band leader), and makes a living for himself. It is also interesting to see that Lucy is often mocking his Spanish in a teasing sort of tone, making him sound kind of stupid for not being able to speak English. Since Ricky is successful and a man, however, he is still portrayed as being superior to Lucy. Lastly, Ricky’s success as an entertainer in the 50’s also shows that people without degrees were able to get well paying jobs. This is extremely different as opposed to today in society where you may even need a degree to attain at least minimum wage.

An extreme example of Ricky’s dominating relationship with Lucy is when Ricky is seen literately spanking Lucy when she is “acting up”. This occurred in about three I Love Lucy episodes including episode 61 entitled “The Ricardo’s Change Apartments”. Lucy wants a new apartment so she fills the entire house with toys and because she is being smart, Ricky comes home and spanks her when he sees the mess. A book describing every episode of I Love Lucy even states that “Ricky’s spanking of Lucy is disturbing, even in the context of the humor” (Fidelman, G.M., 1999, p. 62).

(To see this exact example yourself, go to 5 min 10 sec in the following clip)



It is pretty interesting to think that an act of violence such as this was completely appropriate to show, although when Lucy was pregnant, she could not say the word pregnant, but rather that she was “expecting”. This shows that society was okay with men having power over women, yet sex or even a hint towards sex is taboo.

As mentioned in the first posting, children did not play a large role in the family, and did not receive a lot of attention. Children were meant “to be seen and not heard” which is literally true in I Love Lucy by the audience rarely seeing Lucy’s son, Little Ricky. In a research article based on family relationships in domestic comedy, I Love Lucy received very low scores for parent child relationships. This suggests that “The parent child relationship was of minimal importance” (Douglas &Olson, 1995, p. 236). Just by watching the show proves this to be true because even though Little Ricky is shown in a couple episodes, especially near the end of the show’s production, he is never a main focus of the show in general. With these study results combined with the common beliefs of children in the fifties, it is clearly seen that I Love Lucy depicts the child and parent relationships of the family very well.

References:

Douglas, W., & Olsen, B. (1995). Beyond Family Structure: The Family in doestic comedy.
Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 39(2), 236. http://search.ebscohost.com/

Fidelman, G.M. (1999). The Lucy Book: A Complete Guide to Her Five Decades on Television.
Los Angeles: Renaissance Books.

Some questions to think about:

How do think this lack of relationship, if you believe there to be one, between parents and children affected the everyday family structure during this time?

Do we see this same parent-child relationship in TV programs today? Depending on your thoughts, what would that imply?

Do you think that media influenced everyday life of families in the fifties? More specifically, do you think because women and children viewers saw Ricky acting as a strong enforcer of rules and using violence to keep his wife in her place, that viewers then felt it was more normal for males to treat women this way?

Any other general thoughts?


"Equal Rights" Clip # 2

Here is the second clip from the “Equal Rights” episode. This is when Fred and Ricky try to prove their point about equal rights by “teaching Lucy and Ethel a lesson”. Pay attention to the language used, the characters’ reactions to different situations, and their attitudes. Enjoy!





Some Questions to Think About:

Do you think that Ricky and Fred’s actions were really portraying what it means to have equal rights, or were their actions just rude to do no matter what gender or sex you are?

When Ethel begins to blame Lucy “for opening her big mouth” and speaking up about equal rights, what does that tell us about the ideas and attitudes in the 50’s?

Do you think some of these attitudes are still held today?

Any other observations, feelings, or comments?

I Love Lucy "Equal Rights" Clip #1

Throughout the week we will be posting each installment of this specific I Love Lucy episode entitled, “Equal Rights”. We felt it would be interesting to space out the clips in their relation to the order in which we discuss our main points. It is also fun to anticipate the ending because it is really interesting and wraps up our overall discussion.

This first clip displays how equality between husband and wife truly was in the husbands favor, and is reinforced when Fred agrees. Lucy and Ethel both vocalized how they did not support Ricky’s comment, which goes against the stigma of other housewives during that time. Please feel free to comment on anything that you find interesting. Enjoy!