Sociology assignment

Although many more women earn high salaries and hold prestigious occupations than in the past, few women occupy the highest positions in government and corporations. In her bestselling book, Lean In, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg shares an anecdote about a conversation with a female co-worker who was so worried about balancing her career and family that she was considering taking a step back from her career. The surprising thing was that this woman didn’t have any children, let alone a boyfriend.

1. Write your short essay in three paragraphs and at least 500 words total in the following order. 1 point will be deducted from your original score if you did not conduct a spell check before submitting your work or follow the instructed writing format.

In your first paragraph (1 point)

Discuss the following questions; Have you ever thought about how you will balance work and family? If yes, discuss your plan and expected difficulties and obstacles if any. If no, why not? What conditions do you think would be able to balance the two aspects of your life? If you are already married (with children) how do you balance the two?(I am not im 21) Did you give up or change your career when you have your child(ren)? Why/why not? (Both male and female students can discuss this based on their expected gender roles at work and family.)

In your second paragraph (2 points)

Read the following articles and listen to the news reports presented on the following NPR website. Indicate which NPR articles and reports you read and listened to. State what you learned from them. Discuss your reaction and questions/critique.

articles: https://www.npr.org/2016/10/06/495839588/countries-around-the-world-beat-the-u-s-on-paid-parental-leave

https://www.npr.org/2018/02/27/585133064/lawmakers-agree-on-paid-family-leave-but-not-the-details

https://www.npr.org/series/496729626/stretched-challenges-facing-working-parents-in-the-u-s. (Listen to at least three reports)

In your third paragraph (2 points)

Identify at least two structural (macro-level) factors that might lead young women to believe they should remain the main caretakers of children and plan on careers that allow them to balance work and family in general, while few young men are concerned about these things along with some specific examples based on the article and podcasts.

* Examples of “structural (macro-level) factors” include the change in the economy, family laws/regulations, availability of childcare, school systems and curriculum, media representation of ideal mothers and fathers, and scientific and technological development in reproduction.