Maintaining Work-Life Balance among Married Working Women in Banking

Maintaining Work-Life Balance among Married Working Women in Banking Literature Review It is a truth that work and family life cannot be separated, they both act together and the lines of demarcation of family life and work life cannot be drawn. With changing times, social structure, nature of business and globalization at fast pace; boundaries of work is changing rapidly. Working patterns and timings are in constant change but the pace of change is more rapid. The need for the change is being derived from individuals and organizations. Organizations are expected to perform at its optimum and provide better services 24/7 which requires employees to devote extended working hours to deliver service and this in turn effects personal lives of employees and creates an issue of work-life imbalance which is of paramount concern for everyone to have work-life balance (Jacobs Gerson, 2001) (Taylor, 2001). Work life balance is an adjustment in working patterns to mingle work with other responsibilities (Smithson Stokoe, Discourses of Work-Life Balance: Negotiating Genderblind Terms in Organizations, 2005) regardless of gender. Work-life balance  reflects; The extent to which an individual is equally engaged in and equally satisfied with his or her work role and family role (Aziz Cunningham, 2008), similarly according to Clark (2000) as cited by Othman, Yusof, Osman (2009) work life balance is defined as, Satisfaction and good functioning at work and at home with a minimum of role conflict (Othman, Yusof, Osman, 2009). It is also eloquent that every individual is to require maintaining and achieving a balance between their paid work and family responsibilities be it child care, elder care, leisure time, self development (Hogarth Bosworth, 2009). It is debatable that the word balance means settled equilibrium but can work and life outside work can be in equilibrium? Initially, work was considered as the only responsibility of male members of the society while women were only responsible for the domestic chores (Bailyn, Drago, Kochan, 2001), (Eikhof, Warhurst, Haunschild, 2007). This framework has been followed for ages and it was widely believed and accepted that the bread-winners of the family were only men. However as time evolved and in order to earn and have better lifestyles for their family, female workforce in the labor market started to increase, the conventional image of male as bread winner started to transform and now female also played an equally important role as an earning member of the family (Easton, 2007), (Flechl, 2009), (Malik Khan, 2008) (Hakim, 2006), (Strober, 2010), (Lourel, Ford, Gamassou, Gue ´guen, Hartmann, 2009). Evolution of females at work life The Second World War brought the contribution of women to the forefront. The discrepancy between men and women started to emerge, as it came in to notice when the female gender entered the work force around the globe (Goldin, 1991), which added another responsibility to their account that now they were multitasking between work and family life, taking care of their family as well as their work both came under their life domain (Tijdens, 1997), (A.Milkie Peltola, 1999). It was seen that at the time of Second World War keeping aside the traditional division of labor on the basis of gender, women entered the work force and start performing the mens job in the industries to prove themselves as capable enough to perform tasks in a more organized and better way (Milkman, 1987). It is a sad fact that in spite of their dual dedication, even during this time period, they were not considered as a factory worker instead their identity was recognized as women only (Trey, 1972), (Hyman Summers, 2004). At the end of the war; the female workers were forced and left stranded out of the labor market in order to take care of their more traditional responsibilities. Fortunately, for women this was just a temporary setback, as the number of women workers has increased after the Second World War which shows that the pattern set during the war time is still being pursued by females persistently till present (Milkman, 1987), (Bird, 2006). This is evident from a research conducted by Goldin (1991) on the percentage of working females in USA as according to this study; the participation rate in 1890 was 5 percent, 1940s was around 10.1 percent, while in 1950s it increased to 22.2 percent and then kept on increasing and finally reached 60 percent in 1990s (Goldin, 1991). Female workforce is not only increasing in European countries, but also in Pakistan; women are entering in the labor force with an increasing trend (Hussain, Malik, Hayat, 2009). According to Federal Bureau of Statistics of Pakistan, the women entering into the work force have increased to 11.81 million (53.72%) in 2009 from 10.96 million (51.78%) in 2008. This labor force comprises of 74% females in agriculture sector, 11.9% in manufacturing, 11.6% in service sector, while the rest of 0.9% are working in other sectors (Federal Bureau of Statistics, 2010). These statistics shows that with an increasing number of female workforces, it has become mandatory for women to maintain a balanced work and family life. Change in the Role of Women with Added Responsibility The role of women modified after the Second world war, as females started entering in the labor force as bread earners to support their families due to economic pressures (Hakim, 2006) and to improve the life style of their living (Emslie Hunt, 2009), and changed the traditional image of male being the sole responsible for earning the livelihood for all family members. With the enhancement of this new role as bread earners, the responsibility also increases for the women as now they have to look after their work life also along with the family which makes it difficult for them to manage both responsibilities simultaneously (Lourel, Ford, Gamassou, Gue ´guen, Hartmann, 2009),(Flechl, 2009), (Work-Life Balance, 2010). Although the conventional model of male bread winner starts to modify but still the distribution of duties between men and women remains unchanged. As now women are sharing the responsibilities of men by entering in the work force but on the other side the duties performed by females are not being shared (Emslie Hunt, 2009), which is creating a conflict between their family and career life (Zulu, 2007), (Thompson Walker, 1989). Originally, women had to take care of family matters only while men were responsible for work related issues. But with the change in the role of female, now they have to manage their family and professional life effectively which is creating a burden on them (Malik Khan, 2008), (Callan, 2008), (Dulk Peper, 2007). As they have to perform tasks like;cooking, shopping, cleaning (A.Milkie Peltola, 1999), listening and comforting children, providing emotional support to partners and parents (Emslie Hunt, 2009) and other domestic chores; which were previously considered as the only responsibility of females. But with the passage of time, now they have to perform their official tasks along with all these household chores but men are still only responsible for work related issues. Due to this unending list of duties women had to perform at home which are less flexible, demanding and experience interruptions (Aziz Cunningham, 2008); effects professional life or relaxing time of females which leaves negative impression on work life balance as compared to men (A.Milkie Peltola, 1999). Hence, in order to run work and family life smoothly women are expected to make larger sacrifices because they possess less power and authority due to the tradition and cultural norms of the society. Women can equally enjoy roles as mothers and workers but still feel more pressure than men because home responsibilities are greater and require more sacrifice (Stephen, 1977), (Thompson Walker, 1989). According to Coltrane (2000), Greenhaus and Parasuraman(1999), Rothbard and Edwards (2003) as cited by (Malik Khalid, 2008) it is a known fact that women typically do a bigger share of the household labor than men and that extra work at home partially constrains the time women can spend in paid work. Straub (2007) identifies that women tend to spend more time to family activities as of men and the same amount of work hours as of men. Challenges Faced by Women while Handling Work and Family Life With the amount of responsibilities added to the role of women, it has given rise to multiple challenges that they are facing in their daily life. Performing various tasks and playing different roles which includes; mother, wife, caregiver (for parents and elderly) and employee simultaneously becomes very difficult for women to fulfill (Straub, 2007), (Beauregard Henry, 2008). It is a challenge for women to give proper time and attention to; children especially who are very demanding under age of 13 (Thompson Walker, 1989), husband to maintain healthy relationship (Jacobs Gerson, 2001), other members of the family (parents, elderly) (Lourel, Ford, Gamassou, Gue ´guen, Hartmann, 2009) and to their work life for career progression (Aziz Cunningham, 2008). A balance between all these responsibilities is directly linked with the career performance as well as physical and mental wellbeing of women (Whitehead Kotze, 2003), (Creating Work Life Balance, 2009). Female workers also have to face lots of social pressures which do not allow women to have late sittings at the work place for official matters or to visit places related to work (Hakim, 2006), (Jacobs Gerson, 2001). These restrictions are mostly raised by the members of the family which includes; husband, in-laws, brother and parents which creates hurdles in their career progression (Schwartz, 1989). Women also encountered issues like stereotyping, sexual harassment and discrimination which make them feel insecure and confused about whether they should raise voice against inequality or remain quiet and face it (Ibrahim Marri, 2008), (Lee Brotheridge, 2005). According to Easton (2007) and Zulu (2007), Glass ceiling is also one of the obstacles which hinders women while climbing ladders of hierarchy in organizations because business environment for women is more stressful and not at all easy as compared to men. As women are in minority and mostly perceived by men as blend of doubt, attraction, respect, confusion, competitiveness, pride and animosity; therefore this mixed perception creates glass ceiling at the time of promotions (Flechl, 2009), (Lourel, Ford, Gamassou, Gue ´guen, Hartmann, 2009). As managerial positions require strong decision making skills while women are considered as emotional and required ample amount of time to make decision for important matters (Aziz Cunningham, 2008), therefore women are not easily designated for senior managerial positions because of perception that they are best regarded as housewives and mothers (Dulk Peper, 2007), (Kafetsios, 2007). The other challenge for women is the career development and promotion in their professional lives. Senior positions require long hours commitment, work related seminars, conferences, workshop and tours which makes it difficult for women to reach due to family responsibilities (Beauregard Henry, 2008), (Hochschild, 1997). Also the fact that creates hurdles in womens progression is pregnancy and childbirth; because they have to take maternity leaves which results in missing out opportunities for promotion (Straub, 2007), (Doherty, 2004), (Schwartz, 1989). Although there are many women who want to achieve career advancement with fulfilling other house hold tasks (Kafetsios, 2007), but organizations fail to realize that talented and motivated women can be committed to family as well as career and can do best for the middle management (Saltzstein, Ting, Saltzstein, 2001) but as organizations are reluctant to reduce pressure and provide flexibility this leads to recruit other employees rather than providing training to women employees (Clutterbuck, 2003), (Doherty, 2004). Consequences of Imbalance Work and Life Due to the challenges faced by women in their work life, it becomes difficult for them to maintain a balance between their work life and family life. Therefore it leads to number of negative consequences, not only at part of individuals but organizations also have to face certain setbacks (McPherson, 2007), (Hyman Summers, 2007). Individuals As women have to execute variety of roles in their family and work life, it becomes tough for them to handle diverse tasks effectively at the same time providing equal amount of attention to every role. When women were unable to manage all these roles, it results in physical as well as psychological problems (Kirrane Buckley, 2004); which includes increased level of stress, anxiety, lack of concentration and decrease in levels of alertness, energy and general health (Beauregard Henry, 2008), (Franche, Williams, al, 2006) Work life imbalance also has implications on the relationship among family members as due to the demanding nature of work, it becomes difficult to spend time together which results in lack of bonding among family members (Lee Brotheridge, 2005). Hence due to this situation, women may experience guilt and regret because they are unable to meet expectations of their families (Abercromby, 2007), (Creating Work Life Balance, 2009). Organizations Unbalanced work and family life also have negative impacts on the part of organizations, as when women workforce are not satisfied with the roles they are playing it reflects in their performance at work place (Tausig Fenwick, 2001), (Nolan, 2005). According to Straub (2007), Kafetsioss (2007) and Lambert et al., (2006); collision in work and family life results in reduced levels of job satisfaction, loyalty, organizational commitment, work effort, performance; while increased the level of absenteeism and turnover. Policies and Steps taken by Organization to Support Work Life Balance With the changing trends of economic development, equal employment opportunities and others, the issues regarding work-life balance has gained much attention from media and researchers globally (Kirrane Buckley, 2004). The work-life balance debate mostly discussed the fact that individuals have too much work to do that very little time left for themselves or family (Eikhof, Warhurst, Haunschild, 2007). As the time spend on work does not only include the contractual hours of employment but it also include the unpaid activities such as unpredictable long journey times, hence the line between work and family is becoming more blurred than before (Hyman Summers, 2004). These issues make employers realize the importance of work-life balance in womans daily lives in order to get optimal outcomes from the female employees (Leeds list the benefits of better work life balance, 2004), (Jacobs Gerson, 2001). Hence during 1980s, many organizations starts to change their internal workplace policies, procedures and benefits. The changes included maternity leave; Employee assistance programs (EAPs), flextime, telecommuting, paid maternity leaves, home-based work, vacation, professional counseling, and child and elder care referral (Bird, 2006), (Hudson inc), (Sunil Joshi, 2002). At present, the work-life balance issues are assumed as the most discussed topic in the field of Human Resource world due to the recognition of its value and need in the lives of females (Smithson Stokoe, 2005). Considering these consequences resulting from imbalance work and family life, European companies have shown interest in reducing this imbalance and have launched numerous work-life balance programs specifically for females (Sikora, Moore, Grunberg, Greenberg). According to a research conducted by Caroline Straub; on average 95 percent of European companies offer flexible timings facility to their employees, 79 percent employers allow employees to work from home, 23 percent provides opportunity to take paid vacations and only 34 percent emphasis on child care facilities (Straub, 2007). However still, a question asked by most individuals today is as to why do work-life balance matter to policy makers, and why it might be of importance to employers? Which has been answered by (Gatrell Cooper, 2008) through citing Swan and Cooper (2005) that the concept of work-life balance developed initially as a result of European government policies designed to work on addressing the pressures with balancing work and family life together, where both parents were employed. As further addressed by Lewis and Cooper (2005) cited by (Gatrell Cooper, 2008) it has been observed that, work-life balance policies are associated with presenting employees with the chance to work flexibly, whereas initially the notions of flexible working were considered in equal opportunities program, with a special focus on working mothers. Today it is open to all. This leads to encouraging the concept of work-life balance in clear terms. In New Zealand, (Kean, 2002) undertook a survey of the employees of 25 organizations which reveals that there is a clear relationship between the work-life balance policies with the employees intentions to leave the organization and actual turnover rates. This study suggests that the work-life balance policies have net positive effect on staff turnover rates. On the other side there are managers who are reluctant to apply policies which promote work life balance; according to the study of Workplace Employment Relations Survey 2004 (WERS), 69 percent managers in private sector believe that it is solely the responsibility of individuals to balance their work and domestic demands (Hyman Summers, 2007). They have the doubt of the benefits work life balance will bring to their companies and perceive that it will be costly to implement (Hughes, 2007). But this is not reality, although costs will incur at planning and implementation stage but the benefits that will be availed afterwards will be higher from this cost. Benefits earned due to implementation of Work Life Balance Policies Work-life balance has become the focus of companies worldwide, who do not take it lightly at any time. Nowadays, it is important for managers to take work-life balance seriously. The more overworked employees, the higher the demands or the expectations on the department (Clutterbuck, 2003), the more the managers have to depend on their employees to perform at the highest possible level of proficiency, value, and quality (Jacobs Gerson, 2001), (Human Resource and Skills Development Canada, 2003). There are companies who believe that if employees maintain a balance between work and family, it will benefit the organization as a whole. A survey conducted of DuPont employees lead to a discovery that those who used work-life opportunities provided by the company were more committed to their work and believed in sticking with the organization (Clutterbuck, 2003). The U.K 2003 Best Companies to Work for survey states that the companies who allow their staff to work flexibly earn fine dividends. In UK, the government has been promoting the concept of work-life balance for some time now and many large corporations have started to implement this religiously (Clutterbuck, 2003). The benefits that BT, a U.K based company and one of the leading providers of communication solutions and services around the world has achieved from this change are colossal; it results in a more flexible and an approachable workforce, recruitment and training costs have been reduced as now 98% women return to work after maternity leave which saves around  £3 million, absenteeism rate has reduced to 3.1% as compared to other U.K. companies whose average comes about to be 8.5%, one of the best aspects of work-life balance has been that around 7000 BT employees now work from home which has increased its gains of 31%, and flexible working arrangements means that BT can now respond to customers demand 24/7 (Hughes, 2007). According to another research, the employee-opinion survey conducted at UK building society Nationwide, where more than three-quarter agreed with the statement that: I am satisfied that Nationwide provides me with the opportunities to balance working arrangements with my personal life. Therefore it is apparent as to how Nationwide has gained the following rewards over the period of three years; the number of employees returning from maternity leave has increased to 93%, employee turnover rate has decreased to 9.7% as compared to the industry average of 17%, the number of female part-time employees has increased to 50% and female home workers has risen about 150% (Job flexibility and work-life balance pay dividends for Nationwide, 2003). In a recent newspaper article (Razvi, 2010) the writer talks about how in a country like ours, most companies apparently operate on an eight to-whenever youre absolutely finished work hours policy. The idea of striking a work-life balance is not always something that young people are made aware about as they enter the professional territory. Even prior to people entering the job market, hardly any are actually able to keep that delicate balance between their studies and their family and social life. What the balance adds up to is in itself dynamic, and fluctuates with the changing status, as well with the altering demands of the multiple roles. Therefore, its necessary to focus on work-life balance, because if people are out of balance or stressed or sick then they will be less committed to the results (Tremblay, 2002), they will be less devoted to the organization (Yasbek, 2004), they will be less committed to the client, the customer, the product or service that youre producing (Human Resource and Skills Development Canada, 2003).

Human Population Essay

Census Bureau of the United States has estimated that the current world human population is about 6,818,500,000 people. In 2009 the United Nation estimated the world human population to be around 6,800,000,000. This is an indicator that the human population is growing at a very alarming rate with an annual birth rate of approximately 134 million per year against 57 million deaths (Freeman. 1974). The alarming increment in the number of human on earth has raised queries as to whether the planet earth is becoming over populated. The human population is experiencing scarcity of resources due to the overpopulation. In order to them to counter this problem they have come up with ways that have in turn threatened the ecosystem. For instance there planet earth is warming up, the air is being populated, and the levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide have risen (Freeman. 1974). It is estimated America enjoyed a low population of less than 100 million in the years 1950s. During this period there was a series of epidemics that were believed to have been introduced by their encounter with the explorers from Europe leading high death rates. Evidences provided by archaeologists indicated that most deaths of the current world were cause by diseases by the old world such as influenza, smallpox, and measles. However, with time the natives developed immunity towards these diseases (Collinson. 2002). The life expectancy for children increased tremendously in the 18th Century and so did the human population due to introduction of vaccines, effective medication, and improved sanitation. As a result the United Kingdom alone is said to have doubled in every 50 years population. India’s population has since grown from 125 million in 1750s to 1. billion. The 20th Century recorded the highest increment in human population worldwide. This is also attributed to increased agricultural produce and improved medical knowhow (Collinson. 2002). Researchers have indicated that the rate of population growth has decreased except in the Middle East, Latin America and Sub-Saharan. However some countries such as Eastern and Central Europe and experiencing negative factors as a result of decrease in population. Japan and Western Europe are said to fact similar threats in the near future as a result of change in fertility pattern. A study done by the United Nation in 2006 showed that the drop in population growth was as a result of demographic transition. The report also indicated that should this pattern of growth remain unchanged, there might be zero rate of growth by the year 2050. Research indicates that Asia has the largest number of people of approximately 3. 8 billion, which is 60% of the world human population, while Africa has 12% (Zuckerman. 1996). Prediction The rapid increases in human population lead Thomas Malthus to predict in 1798 that the world would run short of food supply by the mid 19th Century. Paul R.  Ehrilich, in 1968 predicted that famine would occur in 1970s and 1980s. However various economists challenged them as various measures had been put in place to counter the foreseen problem. For instance, the massive awareness of green revolution lead to increase in food production whose increment has been concurrent with the rapid growth of the population. Analysts have however warned that despite the increase in food production, the prices are sky rocketing making its accessibility to those who have the means, and thus a larger number of human population experiencing malnutrition (Collinson. 002). Green Revolution The introduction of Green Revolution lead a 250% increase in food production for the year 1950 to 1984. However, the green revolution being supported by fuel irrigation among other things such as pesticides and fertilizers lead to acute prices of food. Therefore, despite the discovery saving the continent from dire famine, it has not entirely addressed the accessibility of food by the poor. United Nation reported that as at 2005 approximately 850 million people were facing malnutrition due to lack of purchasing power of food. The high production of oil is an indicator that oil is crucial for daily survival. Farming is now mechanized where by bio-fuel is required which has had an effect on the prices of the farm produce (Freeman. 1974). Overpopulation Overpopulation is said to be a serious threat for the next generation. Generally is a state whereby there are more humans on earth than the earth can handle; in terms of provision of enough resources that would make them live happily and live it a fit place for the next generation users. However some countries provide incentives for people to increase their birth rate. This is said to have an impact of the growth of the economy and military security. Other critics have challenged such countries saying that the world is overpopulated and that failure to control birth rate is in fact increasing death rate by default. On one hand, some politicians call for countries, especially MDCs to increase their population size to maintain their economic growth and military security. On the other hand, critics denote that one out of five people living here today is not properly supported and believe that the world is already limited in resources (Freeman. 974). Causes of Rapid Human Population Growth The world has seen a rapid increase in human population due to low death rate and increased birth rates. Above all the high skilled science and technological advancement have contributed in reduction of death rates. These innovations lead to increment in production and supply of food, the public health sector has been able to provide clean water and sanitation as wel l as introduction of effective antibiotics and vaccines which have contributed to prolonging human lives. In the past developing countries way of life was wanting. However, there has been the processes of education and global interactions that has lead to enhancement in their standards of living, and thus longitivity of lives. These innovations have seen discovery of treatment for diseases that once killed so many people such as measles, malaria, and flu (Zuckerman. 1996). Food Production and Distribution There also has been innovation in the agricultural sector, the biggest break through being genetically modified food as well as irrigation. For instance in the United states there was an increase in production from 631 million tones to 1. 65 billion tones between the years 1950 and 1984. This is an indicator that the amount of food produce increased tremendously that can cater for increasing human population (Hutchinson. 2008). These technologies has also allowed new breed of seeds, fertilizers and modern machinery which in turn has lead to expansion of agricultural sectors across the globe. Studies indicate the production of food has increased by 24% in the last 10 years. However, these expansion in food produce has not been witness evenly particularly in African Countries. Researchers have also confirmed that there is no food shortage in the world, but equitable distribution should be considered. There are very many people particularly in African countries that do not have sufficient cash to buy food (Collinson. 2002). Public Health Survival of daily living is depended on basic needs such as safety shelter, food, and clean water. Initially inaccessibility of clean water would contribute to wiping out children from cholera. Studies indicate that in the year 1990, less than 50% of the human populations were capable of getting access to safe drinking water, however there has been in increase of accessibility of clean water to 75% afterwards. It was forecast that the accessibility to clean and safe drinking water was to increase by 14% in the year 2000 throughout the world (Hutchinson. 2008). Housing Due to the rapid increase in human population, there has been the need to expand on housing. This has therefore resulted in evolution of urban centers which are highly populated. Due to high demand in housing, accommodation has become very expensive. As a result there has emerged high class, middle class, and low class societies. The poor are forced to live in slums, whereby women and children are exposed to threats such as rape and exploitation. There have been strategies by various governments throughout the world to eradicate poverty in vain. Cheap housing schemes have been designed by some governments; unfortunately the number of the poor is appalling (Collinson. 2002). Consequences Studies have confirmed that the poorest countries have the largest number of human population. Research has also confirmed that there is a correlation between poverty and fertility as well as high child hood mortality rate. Therefore the people who enjoy high standards of living have low fertility rates, these people also have a longer life span as opposed to the poor as well as lower infant mortality rate. In a nutshell poverty and overpopulation are associates of increase of death and diseases. This is because lack of adequate sanitary housing and clean drinking water lead to health issues (Freeman. 1974). Developing countries have the highest number of human population as opposed to the developed countries. For instance one in every five persons in the Soviet countries live below the poverty line, as opposed to one of every eight person in America. Poverty is said to have been caused by the acute increase in population after the end of the 2nd World War. Poverty has the lead to death of mankind. Instead of allowing poverty to persist, it is important to limit our number be-cause in dense populations too many lack adequate food, water, shelter, education and employment. High fertility, which has been traditionally associated with prosperity, prestige, and security for the future, now jeopardizes chances for many to achieve health and security (Hutchinson. 008). Many governmental and non governmental organizations have been set up to ensure that the projected population in the coming years will be concurrent with production of food, water, heath care, technology, and education. For instance the development countries have put in efforts to ensure that both the social and economic conditions are at par. Programmes such as World Food Programme have been designed to ensure equitable distribution of food especially in developing count ries.

Parenting Styles Theory by Diana Baumrind Essay

According to psychologist Diana Baumrind there are four parenting styles; Authoritarian, Authoritative, Permissive and Uninvolved parenting. Baumrind studied how these parenting styles impacted a child’s development. †¢Authoritarian Parenting – this type of parent is demanding but not responsive, children are expected to follow the strict rules and parents fail to explain their reasons behind their rules and might just reply by saying, â€Å"Because I said so!† †¢Authoritative Parenting – the parent is demanding and responsive, lie authoritarian parenting these parents have rules to follow but this parenting style is much more democratic. Authoritative parents are responsive to their children and willing to listen to questions. When children fail to meet the expectations, these parents are more nurturing and forgiving rather than punishing. †¢Permissive parenting – this type of parenting is usually referred to as indulgent parenting, this parent is responsive but not demanding. They are nurturing and accepting and are very responsive to the child’s needs and wishes. Permissive parents are generally nurturing and communicative with their children, often taking on the status of a friend more than that of a parent. †¢Neglectful Parenting – this type of parenting is usually referred to as uninvolved parenting, they are neither demanding nor responsive. Parents are emotionally unsupportive of their children but will still provide their basic needs (food, housing etc†¦). In extreme cases, these parents may even reject or neglect the needs of their children. One of the main parenting styles identified by Baumrind is known as the authoritative parenting style. This style of parenting is sometimes referred to as â€Å"democratic† and involves a child-centric approach in which parents hold high expectations for their children (Baumrind, 1967). This type of parenting reflects the type of parent that my sister is to her son. My nephew is fourteen (14) years old now, during his child hood my sister would lay down a set of rules for him to follow. These rules matched with his daily routine of small chores and responsibilities seemed harsh at the time, but whenever he needed to be disciplined instead of immediately punishing him, she would put him to sit down and ask him why he did the things he did. This was more or less the method she chose to use with him and as a result, my nephew would be more open about his reasons for his actions and in so doing she was able to build a trusting relationship between them. My nephew grew so accustomed to this method that over time he became more respectful and focused in his studies. He began to understand that with every wrong action there would be consequences, yet he felt loved and he felt comfortable opening up to his mother about any problems. My sister’s authoritative parenting style not only encouraged him to be independent but now he reciprocates these actions with my 18 month old son. I can identify with Baumrind’s Authoritative parenting style since that is the way that I too was raised by my mother and since the birth of my son I have adopted the same method. I express warmth and love while at the same time I give him limits and consequences for his actions. My method is to try to reason with him and try to explain to him that what he is doing is wrong by teaching him from the early stages to discuss things. In my opinion it demonstrates fairness for both parent and child and it encourages a trusting relationship which I believe is necessary for a child’s development.

Essay on The Media and Violence in our Society - 636 Words

Violence has always played a role in the media. It is found everywhere around the world. Media does contribute to violence in our society. This essay will prove that media does contribute to violence in our society by examining music, video games and Web Sites. Firstly, one form of violence which influences behaviour in our society is music. This sort of media is a concern to parents who are interested in the development and growth of their children because of the negative and destructive themes of some kinds of music. Let’s take for example the rap artist Eminem. In his album â€Å"Marshall Mathers†, he talks about murdering his wife, and plans to rape and murder his mother. These violent lyrics promote hatred against women.†¦show more content†¦Secondly, another form of violence which influences behaviour in our society is video games. Almost all children play video games. An average seventh grader plays video games at least 18 hours per week and most of thos e games are violent. Young people who play a lot of violent video games have an aggressive behaviour. The main trend of video games is for players to be the bad guys, acting out criminal fantasies and earning points for attacking and killing innocent people. Even though these games are rated M, they are popular among pre-teens and teenage boys. Let’s take for example Grand Theft Auto 3, who was the best-selling game for PlayStation 2. The main idea of the game is too earn points by carjacking, stealing drugs from street people and pushers and also by beating up prostitutes with baseball bats after having sex with them. These types of video games do not set good examples for children and teenagers. These young minds may think that they are allowed to verbally aggress women and that doing crimes are alright. Violent video games may affect their behaviour as they get older because they may want to commit crimes and get into drugs. This proves that video games do contribute to v iolence in our society. Thirdly, the last but not least form of violence which influences behaviour in our society is Web Sites. Ever since the internet has been invented, children started having more exposure toShow MoreRelatedViolence in the Media1047 Words   |  5 Pagesa law that bans violence in the media: in movies, on TV, in video games, and on the Internet? Adi Shimony Golden Gate University Today, media take a major part of our lives, shape our society and create reality.  The Banning violence in the media is an efficient approach the government should take to handle the growing violence in our society. I argue that the US Government should make a law that bans violence in the media. The law needs to limit broadcasting of violence content at timesRead More The Effects of Television Violence Essay1416 Words   |  6 PagesThe Effects of Television Violence Recent attention in the media relating violence and children has created much controversy and debate. 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