Working Parents Report Writing

8/8/2019 Working Parents Report Writing

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WORKING PARENTS


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A Report On Working Parents Page 2 of 20

Submitted To Prof. SwatiMankad

For The Subject:

Communication Skills

Submitted By: MMS AAditya shah(05)

Adnan Shaikh(06)

Husain M. Ronaq (35)Khurshid khan(47)

Moazzam Khan (55)

Rizvi Institute ofManagement& Research


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Preface

Look at the wor ld around you. I t has changed. The

incomes which sees a free fal l and the cost of l iving goes

higher. We live in a world where not living but survival is the

main concern of millions of individuals and families. On the

other hand with rise in education and ambition levels both the

gender seek opportunities to work

These all factors have lead to Working Parents. Not

only the male but even the female steps out of the threshold

to support her family financially.

In this report we have discussed all the issues related tothe working parents. This report tries to analyze the effect of

this trend on others. It also recommends solutions to achieve

optimal efficiency.


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IndexCH # PARTICULARS PG #

1 INTRODUCTION

2 3 4 5 ANALYZATION & INTERPRETATIONS

6 FINDINGS & RECOMMENDATIONS


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Introduction

Mrs Satish is rushing to wake their little daughter ,

Varnika, to get her ready before the school bus starts to

honk. Here Yeswanth, their eldest son is already waiting at

the table for his breakfast. While Mr Satish has been shouting

in the background"Where is my t ie?. In the back of her

mind, Mrs Satish is reminds herself that after the minions are

off to business, she has to prepare for the meeting which is in

the afternoon.

With increasing needs and expectations in our lives, two

breadwinners per family have become more of a basic

necessity than anything else. Most working parents these

days are not happy by just making ends meet. They are

striving to reach the perfect balance - between projecting

themselves as hardworking and dedicated professionals to

their superiors and being the ideal parents for their kids. Butas in any struggle, the higher you climb the ladder of your

career, the tougher this battle becomes. And who faces the

direct consequence of this battle? The children of course!


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Scope Of Study:

The study primarily deals with the problems faced by the

working parents and who all are affected by it directly or

indirectly e.g. the partners themselves, the chi ldren, the

family, the employer or the organization etc.

Objectives

1. To study the li fe and related issues of working parents.

2. To discuss about the effects of this trend

3. To suggest solutions and practices which can benefit

the working parents to cope up.


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Methodology

The approach we adopted towards beginning and

completion of report is outlined below.

1. TOPIC SELECTION:

The topic selection is the most critical job in report

writing. After much discussion and research the topic of

Working Parents was finalized.

2. OBJECTIVES:

A Man Without Goal Is Like A Bird Without Wings."

After selection of the topic, field of study was finalized and

objectives which are mentioned above were determined.

3. SOURCES OF INFORMATION:

After understanding the data requirement, the sources of

information were identified.

4. DATA GATHERING:Primary Data Was Gathered:

By verbal discussion with people.

Secondary Data Was Gathered:

From Various Books.


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From Various Websites.

5. COMPILATION OF DATA:

The data was then compiled in a systematic, organized

and relevant format.

6. ANALYZATION & INTERPRETATION OF DATA:

After compiling the data, it was further analyzed in orderto derive certain findings and conclusions.

7. PRESENTATION OF FINAL REPORT:

Presentation skill is very essential. The data is

systematically presented in the report.


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REPORT BODYThe growth of a 24-7 soc ie ty means tha t a l a rge number of parent s a re

having to work at t imes which have tradit ionally been regarded as family t imes

such as evenings and weekends. Work outside what used to be the standard 9 to 5,

Monday to Friday week is now the norm for many parents, rather than the exception.

This has led to debates about the potential impact on family l ife, with significant

numbers of children deprived of t ime wi th parents or of t ime as par t of a nuclear

family group and many couples having l imited t ime that they can spend together.

In addit ion to concerns about the effects on family relat ionships, a major reason for

the interest in parental work patterns is related to the debate around the association

between parental involvement with their children and their childrens development

and educational attainment.

Recent studies have highlighted the unpopulari ty of working long or atypical

hours amongst parents and the dissatisfaction that parents working these hours have

about the amount of t ime they can spend wi th thei r children. They provide some

evidence of long and a typica l working hours s tunting the amount and range of

activities that parents and children can do together or , in fact , that the children are

able to do at al l. Where this is not the case, i t often appears to be at the expense of

parents cut t ing down on other act ivi t ies , such as spending t ime together , leisure

time, housework and sleep.

However , amongst var ious atypical work patterns or long working hours ,

working at the weekend may have a par t icular impact on famil ies and chi ldren.

Parents have less f lexibi l i ty to f ind t ime to spend wi th thei r chi ldren when they

work at weekends, which are often the main times when children are around, and not

at school or asleep.

The Effects on Children When Both Parents are Employed


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Socio-economic condit ions in North America have contributed to the need for

dual incomes for families. Economically, the number of two parent families below

the pover ty l ine would increase to an es t imated 78% if they were to become s ingle

income families. (Ontario Womens Directorate 9) Socially, i t was the norm, in the

past , for women to stay at home having a more expressive role in the family; taking

care of the children and providing emotional support for the family.

P resent ly , women f ee l t ha t t he ir t radi ti onal r ol es a s chi ld bea re rs and

homemakers must be supplemented wi th a sense of achievement outs ide the home.

Recent s tudies r ef lec t an increased t rend towards the dual income family and

projections are for this t rend to continue. In 1961, 30% of marr ied women were

working; in 1978, 38% were employed; by 1981 50% were working and in 1985, 55%

held paying posit ions outside the home. (Jarman and Howlett 95) In 1961, only 20%

of al l two parent famil ies were! dual wage famil ies , but by 1986, more than hal f

(53%) of al l families were dual earning families. (Ramu 26) In l ight of the fact that

the majori ty of two parent families in the 1990s have also become dual wage earning

famil ies , i t i s impor tant to examine the ef fects of such a phenomenon on society in

general and on child rearing in part icular . Children acquire their goals , values and

norms based on the way that they view or identify with their parents as well as from

the qual i ty and amount of care, love and guidance given to them by thei r parents .

Parents who work present a different image to their children than parents who do not

work.

In addit ion, wage earners, including parents, must ( in most cases) , be absent

f rom the home dur ing the day. When consider ing these modif icat ions to the family

dynamics, there is considerable basis for proof that the posit ive effects outweigh the

negative effects experienced by offspring in families were both parents are employed.

The working parent occupies an important exemplary role within the family. Working

parents often command cons iderable r espect f rom the ir ch ildren , because they

demonstrate the worthy characterist ics of industr iousness, social compatibil i ty, self

reliance, matur i ty , intel ligence and responsibil i ty . Because children ident i fy wi th


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their parents, the feedback from such posit ive influences tends to be posit ive as well

because many of these positive characteristics are imparted upon them.

SOME STORIES FROM SALT WORKERS LITTLE RANN OF KUTCH IN

GUJARAT

Rosa, 22, Akbar 's wife, is expecting their third child. "The desert is a lonely

place. Our clothes and food are covered with the salt and dust , everything spoils in

this heat ." Like others , her family l ives in a tented mud pi t dug into the ground to

beat the heat . Sanitat ion is non-existent and the women can only rel ieve themselves

under cover of darkness in the shrubbery bordering the deser t. Even thi s i s f ast

disappearing as the thorny scrub, prosopis juliflora, is used to make charcoal. Medical

a id i s a ls o i nacces si bl e a s t he nea rest hos pi ta l i s i n Adesa r, a t l east 30 t o 40

kilometres away. Rukiyaben reveals that a child died only last month as the mother

was unable to get to hospital in t ime. "For eight months of the year, we know of no

other l i fe , save that of the sal t . Our feet are cal lused, our hands hard as s tone, our

backs are gone. I am so wrinkled; wi l l anyone look at me and say that I 'm only 35

years old? We are up by 5 a.m., do the housework and are at the saltpans from 7 a.m.

ti l l noon when i t is too hot for any l iving creature. Then, we are back again t i l l the

sun goes down. Tell me, is this any l ife? I am tired. I can't do this any more. Teach

me a new skil l , any new skil l . I want to get out of this l ife." Rukiyaben, who works

on saltpans near Sukhpar vil lage in the Lit t le Rann of Kutch in Gujarat , is t i red and

angry. Sitting in a pit dug into the desert to fend off the heat, with a roof and walls of

torn gunnysack, she is full of woe. "I have been blinded by the salt and my eyesight

has gone so weak, I can't thread a needle. My parents did this work and so do I . But I

don't want our children to do the same," she rues.

Life is very tough for over 100,000 women and men of the saltpans in the Little

Rann of Kutch, a unique salt marsh desert located east of the Gulf of Kutch. India is

among the f ive largest sal t-producing nations in the world and a study conducted for


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Care-India, reveals that at least 70 per cent of the salt is produced by the salt workers

of Kutch using the evaporation method.

The Chuwalia Koli agarias, the community that work in the 'agars ' or sal tpans,

occupy the borders of the deser t and tap into the br iny groundwater , shi f t ing s i tes

according to its availability. "We draw water from saline bore wells, let them into the

salt-beds and rake the beds for the salt crystals that form every eight days, carefully

making smal l hi l l s of sal t for the contractor to take away. Everybody works in the

saltpans - my husband, my sons, our hired labour and I," says Rukiyaben.

The Effects on male and female offspring when both parents are working

A child who observes the competent coping abil i t ies of a working parent learns

in turn, how to cope with lifes problems. At first this may translate into an improved

sense of self-reliance and independence for the child as well as an improvement in the

abi l i ty to be social ly compat ible. As the chi ld grows, i t can fur ther render a chi ld

more emotionally mature and hence more competent in dealing with responsibility and

task completion such as is needed for school work and extracurricular activit ies. A

study by Hoffman in 1974 corroborates these observat ions and therefore one can

conclude that , in general , the working parent provides a very posit ive role model for

the child in a family where both parents are employed. Att i tudes of working parents

per taining to achievement, responsibil i ty and independence af fect both male and

female offspr ing. There seems to be more benef icial ef fects felt by daughters of

working women than by sons; however, this neither implies nor concludes that males

do not r ece ive some posi tive ef fect s due to maternal employment. Hoffman has

concluded that daughters of employed mothers tend to be more independent.

This tendency may resul t f rom the fact that in the mothers absence, a daughter i s

often left to cope with caring for herself : This promotes her independence and self-

rel iance. At the same t ime, the daughter may also be left with the job of looking after

a younger sibling, helping to promote her sense of responsibil i ty. Significant too, is

the fact that daughters of working mothers tend to be more decis ive about thei r

futures than sons . Further s tudies have demonstrated that a mothers employment


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s tatus and occupat ion tends to be a good predictor of the outcome of the working

mother s daughter , s ince daughters t end to fol low in the ir mother s foot steps .

Typically, working mothers held higher educational aspirations for their children and

furthermore , mos t daughters t end to achieve h igher grades in school . I t i s a lso

important to note that both male and female children acquire more egalitarian sex role

att i tudes when both parents work. Boys with working mothers showed better social

and personal skil ls than boys of non-working mothers. On a negative note, middle-

class boys tend to do worse in school when thei r mothers worked. As wel l , boys

whose mothers work tend to have strained relationships with their fathers due to their

perceptive devaluation of their fathers worth as an adequate bread-winner.

One can conclude that males may be negat ively af fected when thei r mothers

work, but males and, to a greater degree, females are affected in many posit ive ways

with regards to achievement in independence and responsibili ty. Adequate child care

is a necessity for parents who both work. I t is often complicated to balance both the

parents and chi lds needs when us ing chi ld care. However , i t may be poss ible to

satisfy the demands of both if forethought and prudence are applied.

Nurturing a child by domestic help

Many cultures worldwide realize that a childs nurturing can be acquired from a

variety of sources including both adul ts and o lder children. Children can be as

comfor table wi th grandparents , neighbors , profess ional chi ld care at tendants , and

babys i t t e r s as they are wi th the i r own mother s . In f ac t , a var ie ty of sources for

nurturing not only provide the child with a variety of role models, such as in the case

of grandparents, but i t also provides them the abil i ty to compare these role models

and to choose the appropriate characterist ics which they will adopt as their own. One

third of al l children are looked after by relat ives; 50% of al l children in child care

situations are being looked after by someone unrelated to them. To date, in Ontario as

in al l of Canada, there is no adequate government pol icy for chi ld care. Funds ear

marked for this area of social assistance are either misappropriated or abused.

The respons ib il ity of choosing the proper type of child care l ies with the

working parents. Proper research of the day care facil i ties and employees should


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include an inves t igat ion into the avai labi l i ty of super ior care in a qual i ty program

where rear ing bel iefs and pract ices mirror those of the parents . When both parents

feel confident in their day care choices, they will view them as supportive influences

rather than intrusive ones. This posit ive at t i tude will provide the child with posit ive

feedback because when parents f ee l good about the ir l ives and deci sions , they

communicate thei r satis fact ion to their children in the form of posi t ive feelings.

These positive feelings are then internalized by the children. Difficult as it may seem,

i t i s clear that i f forethought, research and adequate inves t igative techniques are

applied, parents can successfully select the child care facil ity and/or individual most

appropriate to fulf i l l both their own and their childs needs. Parents who work alter

several t radi t ional methods of parent ing. The aspects of parent ing which are most

affected are quali ty, quanti ty and content . When considering content , a major point is

the preparat ion of the chi ld for a society in which those chi ldren wi l l be adul ts .

Cur rent ly , a chi ld has a 50% chance of becoming d ivorced, and in the case of a

female , a 50% chance of becoming a s ingle mother as wel l as the probabi l i ty of

becoming a member of a dual wage earning family.

Working parents are in a good position to prepare their children for that type of

l ifestyle. Healthy family dynamics including team work, sharing, and responsibil i ty,

are more easily adopted when they are already familiar. As far as quality of parenting,

i t has been observed that women who are highly sat is f ied wi th thei r roles whether

they work or not , display higher levels of warmth and acceptance than do dissatisf ied

mothers and these posi t ive feel ings are ref lected in thei r ! relat ionships wi th thei r

siblings.

RECENT SURVEY IN INDIA THAT SHOWS

Working parents spend less than 30 min per day with their kids. "nearly 54 per

cent of working couples in some of the leading metros and cit ies in the country feel

they have become 'weekend parents ' . "nearly 43 per cent parents in new delhi do not

attend their childrens school function". in 78 per cent cases in pune and 46 per cent


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in delhi , mothers alone at tend these functions. these are some of the survey reports

being displayed in print and electronic media recently.

QUALITY TIME THAT MATERS NOT THE QUANTITY TIME THAT

MATERS

While considering quanti ty of t ime spent on parenting when both parents work,

i t has been concluded by Hoffman in 1974 that there is no consis tent evidence of

deprivation fel t by children of employed mothers . In fact , mothers who were better

educated and employed outside the home spent more t ime with their children even at

the expense of their own leisure and sleep t ime. Hoffman also proposes that the t ime

spent on employment simply substi tutes for t ime previously spent on needless or less

important household tasks which can be performed by others or not at all. Researchers

quest ion the val idi ty of measur ing the number of hours a mother spends wi th her

children . Hoffman found tha t while working mother s spent l es s t ime with the ir

children , the t ime spent with them was more l ikely to be in direct contact with them.

Mothers who are at home full t ime spend only 5% of their t ime in direct interaction

with their children. Employed mothers spend about the same t ime reading to, playing

with and otherwise paying attention to their children as do mothers who stay at home.

The emotional touch stress control with the help of parents.

Because society has changed, the familys function within society has changed

as well . Parental roles have been modified to meet these changes. Today, the familys

most important task is to provide emotional securi ty in a vast and impersonal world.

Working parents of ten possess the ski l l s necessary for responding adequately and

c re at iv el y to t he i nc re as ed s tr es s p la ce d o n c hi ld re n t o s uc ce ed in s uc h a n

environment.

Future parents


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The debate as to whether or not both parents should work or not is really not

significant anymore. Both parents are working and will continue to do so and children

a r e no t be i ng r a i s ed t oday i n t he s ame way as t hey wer e i n t he pas t . The nex t

generat ion of parents wi l l be more conf ident than thei r predecessors and they and

their children will probably never experience the dichotomous feelings that todays

parents have about the dual income family and i ts effects on child rearing. Working

outside the home and being a good parent at the same t ime is possible and in both of

these tasks there is much to value and treasure.

Technology role in nurturing child

Mrs. Shobhana Pati l (47) is a doctor and a mother of two children. Given her errat ic

work schedule, she wished to have more information about her children whereabouts.

And technology has made her wish come true. More and more schools in the ci ty are

automat ing every day ac tivi t ies us ing t echnology to make a s tudent s l if e more

accessible for the working parents. The latest addit ion is the automated at tendance

system. Instead of the manual attendance sheets, schools are now handing out identity

smart cards to the students. The students have to swipe the cards at the school gate. Ifone does not swipe the card before the des ignated t ime, a shor t message serv ice

(SMS) will immediately be sent to the parents mobile phone, informing them about

his or her absence.

Working parents have all the reason to worry about their childrens safety in this

city, said Sudheshna Chatterjee, principal , Jamnabai Narsee School. During school


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hours, we are held responsible for the children. The automated at tendance messages

via SMS wil l g ive the parents some re li ef , she added. Near ly 50 c ity schools,

including Jamnabai Narsee School in Vile Parle, St Xaviers School at Fort and Saint

Ignatius High School in Mahalaxmi , a re undergoing thi s t echnologica l sh if t.

Ano ther 1 ,800 s choo ls acr os s t he count ry a re a ls o consi de ri ng adopt ing t hi s

technology.

Parents have to pay a yearly fee ranging between Rs 30 and Rs 120 for the automated

service depending on the school set up, whi le the school needs to inves t nothing.

The USP (unique sell ing point) of such automated services is that parents can keep

track of their childs l ife via the Internet and the mobile phone, said Shantanu Rooj,

director of Glodyne Technoserve, one of the companies that provide this facility.

Problem for the parents themselves:

Sometimes the huband or the wife cant access their spouse/partners diary even

though they may need to. I t means that s i tuat ions gets such that even they need to

have an appointment to meet and talk to their partner.

Problem for the familyA lady commented I worry about my health and/or diet as well as the health

and diet of my family. For example, because of lack of t ime I may be more l ikely to

cook something quick rather than a home-cooked, well-balanced meal.


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Suggestions & Recommendations

1) Forget about balance!

We need to accept that we are only humans and not the omnipresent, benevolent god.

We cannot be present at work and home at the same time. We need time to adjust

ourselves in the dual role that we are playing. Seeking domestic help from relatives

and friends, who are not working is a better alternative than worrying about your

family as well as your job and loosing concentration on both of them.

2) Talk!!

Its best when you talk things over and this is true with your kids as well. Let themknow that you need them as much as they need you. Take time and ask them how their

day or week was, tell them yours.

3) Plan a routine!!

Sit with your partner, and plan a routine every week that works for both of you, and

for God's sake stick to it . Focus on events that will involve the entire family like

dinner, prayers before going to bed, a movie or an outdoor/indoor game during the

weekend etc. Planning what you would wear for the next five days to office this

weekend, will save time and reduce stress for the next few mornings. And when you

cant decide, ask your children for advice! They would just love the opportunity of

dressing you up for a change!

4) Take turns

Its only fair when both parents enjoy quality time with kids and share family duties

equally. Taking turns in dropping kids to the school or helping them with homework

and other activities will help parents bond with the family members more effectively.

This will also help you to better understand your child as you become aware of his

potential and needs.


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5) Involve them

Nothing can be better than making kids realize themselves, what it takes to run a

happy family. Instead of making them dependent on maids and nannies, its okay to

give them a hint of how hard parents work for them. You can ask them to look out and

care for each other. Educate them about their duties in household chores. Treat all

family members, regardless of age, with courtesy and respect. Practice good manners

while talking to anyone, especially with your spouse, in front of your children. Ask

small favours from your kids like dressing the dinning table, preparing the bed,

arranging the shelves etc and let them know that what they are doing is important.

Compliment them on a job well done; kids love the feeling of having done something

important. Ask favours instead of ordering, yet be firm when things are getting out of

hand.

6) Set rules and define boundaries:

Don't be afraid to set rules and use discipline at home. You don't want to

run your home like a concentration camp, but you don't want a child totally out of

control and calling all the shots, either. Discuss your expectations with your child,

and let them know what penalties are in store for outright abuse or disregard for

household rules. You can afford to be flexible - and you should be, in some cases -

but children also need to know, with assurance, where their boundaries are.

7) Ask for help if required.

Don't be afraid to ask for help. If the load gets too heavy, know when and

of whom, to ask for help. Maybe you need some time out, for yourself and your

spouse. Believe it or not, taking a little time away from the children may be the best

possible thing to do, for all of you. Also, know when it 's time to delegate chores or

hire outside help.


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Bibliography

Books Referred:

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Websites Visited:

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