Two-Career Family Versus one-Career Family

Two-Career Family versus One-Career Family

My paper will focus on the differences and the similarities between the two career families and one career families, and will give ideas regarding which of the two is better in the development of the individual career.

There are various studies that focus on the career development of the individual and how the work is connected with the non-work lives of people. There are divergent studies that show the strong relationship of family and work. It shows that the developmental needs of the family will produce incomplete understanding regarding the career dynamics (Arthur & Hall 1989, p. 159).

One of the main differences between the two career family and the one career family is the focus on the roles and the responsibilities of the parents, concerning the many needs of the family. The one career family is what we call the traditional setup, where the male's major task is to be the financial provider and have great influence over them. Men primarily handles the decision-making process, while the women assumes the responsibility of taking care of the home, caring and raising the kids, managing household chores, cooking, and handling day-to-day errands. Some of the one career families focus on the fact that some men place a lot of heart and attention on their own career, whereas, family time is considered a secondary responsibility. On the other hand, the two career family is considered the product of evolution, and the development of the rights of women in a period of education and status in civilization. In this family career set up, both the husband and wife are working and both are pursuing separate careers of their own. This set up had been driven by different factors and changes in the outside surroundings, such as, the increase in the cost of living, which has caused the wives to go to work along-side their husbands.

If we were to analyze the situation in terms of the financial aspect, then the two career family has the advantage, due to the fact that both parents are the main source of income, both producing a living financially, for the entire family. This is one reason why most two career family set ups have much to spend on different activities, such as taking a family vacation. In addition, most two career families are capable of sending their kids to a great school. This is contrary to a one career family, where as the women are depending on their husband. Today most families are implementing the two career family setting.

Studies and debates have shown that spending quality time is one of the most important issues that have surfaced between the one career and two career families. As stated earlier, women and/or wives often play the role of the homemaker, focusing on the needs and the demands of the children. Therefore, with this kind of set up, one of the parents has the sufficient time to bond and make