A
READINGS
Canvas: Coontz, “A Man’s Home is His Castle: The Family and Outside Intervention”
Canvas: Williams, “The Odd Disconnect: Our Family-Hostile Public Policy”
Canvas: Blank, “Improving the Safety Net for Single Mothers Who Face Serious Barriers to Work”
ASSIGNMENT
Reading Comprehension Questions (10 points total)
In a short paragraph each, number and directly respond to the questions below (you don’t need to re-write the questions).
According to Coontz, how has the government intervened in families throughout history to reinforce a normative model of family? For example, what laws, policies, etc. have the government instituted to reinforce gender roles, the nuclear family, and notions of family privacy/autonomy?
Answer this question by keeping track of the relevant information in the chapter by creating the lists below (you don’t need to type out full sentences/paragraphs). (5 points)
Time period:
Government intervention (specific law, policy, etc.):
An aspect of the normative family the intervention reinforced (e.g., homemaker/breadwinner model)
2. According to Williams, how is the work-family conflict faced by professional and managerial workers different from the work-family conflict faced by the “missing middle” and low-wage workers? (2.5 points)
3. What are the main problems Blank identifies with our current welfare system, and what does she think should be done to solve these problems? (2.5 points
