The Recession and Family Life

Judith Warner wrote an article for the New York Times on August 6, 2010, entitled "What The Great Recession Has Done to Family Life."  The following is an excerpt:

"The most devastating losses in household wealth over the past two years have been suffered by the middle class. And families are fraying at the seams. The Pew poll showed nearly half of people who had been unemployed for more than six months saying their family relationships had become strained, and a New York Times/CBS poll of unemployed adults last winter found about 40 percent saying they believed their joblessness was causing behavioral change in their children.

Parents who have jobs are working longer hours than ever. Mothers are taking shorter maternity leaves. The birth rate is on the decline. The divorce rate is declining, too — it’s too expensive for people to break up their households — but that’s not necessarily a family-friendly thing, as a report from the Council on Contemporary Families noted in April: 'We know from the experience of the Great Depression of the 1930s that divorce rates can fall while family conflict and domestic violence rates rise.'"

The costs of divorce and running two households are daunting, especially during these tough times.  However, it is important to remember that your and your family's safety should always be your top priority.