Family Interaction and Dynamics

                                                                                          VS.   

•   Family time is not only a descriptive term that offers a perspective on some aspect of family togetherness; it is a prescriptive term that directs families to act in certain ways.

• Traditionally (before industrialized technology and the wide scale use of clocks), families experienced life and work in a more seamless fashion through natural, cyclical patterns of work and rest, planting and harvesting, and celebration and mourning.  Up until the middle of the 19^th century, the household was a semi-public, informal place where “family time” was neither highlighted nor ritualized, for it was “simply there.”  Family time was largely an irrelevant notion because family experience was not set apart in the organization of everyday life.

 Hamburger for $.59!!!!!

• In the latter part of the 19^th century, Victorian Protestant culture emphasized the importance of hard work while at the same time ritualizing the family dinner, the living room parlor, and children’s bedtimes.
• The introduction of fast food and ultimately the commodification of food decreased family interaction time.  More importantly, with the commodification of food and lack of the traditional task, roles within the family are altered. (Many times more noticeable in the mother’s role)

Some Impacts of Fast Food on Families/Family Time

• Less time/communication between family members if not sitting at the dinner table or congregated in a “familial” fashion.  The parents have a strong possibility of being unaware of their children’s lives outside the home.
• Ultimately, the social and familial bonds weaken.
• Attrition of Tradition- Dr. Kearl mentioned how when families cook, they pass down information from previous generations (recipes), but with the commodification of food, these traditions fade and sometimes die.

The Second Shift

• Arlie Hochschild, author of The Second Shift, was observing a family and she notes: “Mary Poppins is on the video machine, and has been all day.  Just now, Mary Poppins, the nanny, is announcing dinner to the upper-middle class British Mr. And Mrs. Banks and their children, all primly seated at the dinner table… Barbara Livingston (mother of the family) returns home from work.  Half an hour later, her husband, John Livingston returns home from work and sits down to chat.  In a while, he rises to drive the nanny home, saying to his wife, ‘On my way back should I pick up some carry-out for dinner?’”

                                  Survey Says.......

• Variable description: EAT OUT- Has respondent done the following in the last seven days: Have a meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner) at a restaurant (including fast food places and takeouts)?
• Variable EAT OUT– 80.5% of people surveyed ate fast food, carry out, or at a restaurant for one or more meals in the previous week.
• EAT OUT / AGE- Ages 30-39 ate most fast food during previous week. 
  • Largest difference between eating fast food and not eating fast food was in ages 18-29. (Possibly because in high school/college where most of meals are probably in the home or at the school cafeteria. Also, younger ages have less money and are looking for the “cheapest price.”

• EAT OUT / AGE / SEX-

Both males and females, ages 30-39 ate most fast food.

-         These ages are less likely to have a family with developed roles and tasks (such as cooking/preparing meals).  For singles, couples, and beginning families it might be more convenient to simply “grab a bite” together.

• EAT OUT / MARITAL / KIDS

-         Married persons ate fast food/carry out most (due to kids?)

-         Those never married with no kids ate the most fast food.

-         Those with more than one kid ate a substantial amount more of fast food than any other marital status.

-         This reinforces the simple solution of a quick meal, snack, or dinner to keep the kids’ mouths closed, or rather, satisfied.

• INCOME

-         Families with above $25K income buy vast majority of fast food/carry out in comparison to those with below $25K income level.

-         As the number of children in families increases, the difference in eating fast food between the two income level families decreases. (With more kids, fast food might be a faster and cheaper solution. Also, lower-middle & lower-lower classes might contain less educated people in terms of meal preparation creating a possible lack of desire to cook.)

Conclusion

         Family time is a term that continues to be used in an uncritical fashion in the research literature. In spite of dramatic changes in patterns of work, there has been little effort made to understand the implications for the changing patterns of family time.  The theory of family time has several key dimensions.  First, it would appear that the standards and expectations for family time are powerfully shaped by the Western ideals of family togetherness (meal time a prime example), positive engagement, and child-centeredness.  In this regard, family time is a prescriptive term that upholds a set of traditional family values that may not be easily realized in the face of today’s work and family challenges.  Fast food, carry-out, take out, and ultimately the commodification of food has facilitated meal preparation time and provided cheaper meals, but have also impacted family dynamics and not to mention created a more unhealthy nation.

                                                                   Bibliography

1)     Bryant, W, Keith. An examination of parent-child shared time. Journal of   Marriage and the Family. V.58 p. 227-37.

2)     Hofferth, Sandra L. How American children spend their time. Journal of   Marriage and the Family. V. 63 p. 295-308.

3)     Price, Charlene C. Food Marketing: Food service Sales Reflect the Prosperous, Time-possessed 1990’s.  Food Review V.23 p. 23-26.

4)     Hochschild, Arlie and Anne Machung. The Second Shift. Arlie Hochschild, 1989.

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