Economics and Family change

There have been major changes to the UK ecomony over the long term that have had dramatic effecta on family life.

• The loss of the male bread winner in a family has been caused by a fundamental shift in the nature of employment. Macionis and Plummer estimate that in 1911, 45% of British workers were employed in manufacturing. These would mostly have been men. Now, the major employer is the service sector suc as call centres, IT, retail and entertainment. The new jobs can be done by men or women as service sector work relies on people skills, not physical strength. So as the jobs market for men has declined, fewer families are headed by a man who earns enough in a single job to be able to support a non-working wife and their children.
• Lewis (2012) has pointed out that there have been government and EU policies aimed at encouraging women especially those with children into the workforce. The increase in female employment has changed family life as women can have more control over decisions…