Fast-Forward Family: Home, Work, and Relationships in Middle-Class America

314 Pages·2013·3.754 MB·English

by  Elinor Ochs, Tamar Kremer-Sadlik

Fast-Forward Family
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Fast-Forward Family
Home, work, and relationships
in middle-Class america
Edited by Elinor ochs
and Tamar KrEmEr-sadliK
University oF CaliFornia Press
Berkeley los angeles london
University of California Press, one of the most distinguished
university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the
world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences,
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institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu.
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2013 by The Regents of the University of California
Illustrations and photos appear by permission of CELF.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fast-forward family : home, work, and relationships in middle-class
America / edited by Elinor Ochs and Tamar Kremer-Sadlik.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978–0–520–27397–9 (cloth : alk. paper)

isbn 978–0–520–27398–6 (pbk. : alk. paper)

1. Middle-class families—United States. 2. Work and family—

United States. I. Ochs, Elinor. II. Kremer-Sadlik, Tamar.
HQ536.F388 2013
306.850973—dc23 2012027301

Manufactured in the United States of America
22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
In keeping with a commitment to support environmentally respon-
sible and sustainable printing practices, UC Press has printed this
book on Rolland Enviro100, a 100% post-consumer fiber paper that is
FSC certified, deinked, processed chlorine-free, and manufactured
with renewable biogas energy. It is acid-free and EcoLogo certified.
To the thirty-two families that inspired this study
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contents
list of illustrations ix
acknowledgments xi
note to the reader xv
introduction
Elinor Ochs and Tamar Kremer-Sadlik 1
1. Coming Home
Elinor Ochs and Belinda Campos 13
2. at Home
Anthony P. Graesch 27
3. dinner
Elinor Ochs and Margaret Beck 48
4. mountains of things
Jeanne E. Arnold 67
5. Housework
Wendy Klein, Carolina Izquierdo, and Thomas N. Bradbury 94
6. Chores
Wendy Klein and Marjorie Harness Goodwin 111
7. Homework and recreation
Tamar Kremer-Sadlik and Kris Gutiérrez 130
8. nurturing
Marjorie Harness Goodwin and Charles Goodwin 151
9. stress
Rena Repetti, Darby Saxbe, and Shu-wen Wang 174
10. Health as a Family matter
Linda C. Garro 192
11. time for Family
Tamar Kremer-Sadlik 217
12. the Good enough Family
Elinor Ochs and Tamar Kremer-Sadlik 232
appendix: the CelF study 253
references 267
list of Contributors 289
index 293
illustrations
FigurEs
i.1. CelF mother after work 8
2.1. weekday time at home 29
2.2. Parents’ activities with children at home 32
2.3. mothers’ and fathers’ time with children, alone, or with spouse
and children on weekdays 34
2.4. mothers’ and fathers’ activities with children at home 36
3.1. Kitchen refrigerator with freezer 51
3.2. individual-sized packaged cookies 53
3.3. meal preparation time 57
4.1. typical densely packed garage 72
4.2. High-density home office space 77
4.3. two-child bedroom displaying clutter 80
4.4. Prototypical “refrigerator display” 82
4.5. living room wall featuring family photos 88
5.1. time spent on household maintenance, household chores,
and childcare 97
8.1. making waffles cooperatively 156
8.2. Pouring waffle batter 157
8.3. mom congratulating child on making waffles 158
8.4. Helping baby to get from bed to bathroom 164
8.5. apprenticeship by nesting baby’s body 165
a.1. CelF parents’ self-identified ethnicity 255
a.2. CelF household income 257
a.3. video recording family life 259
a.4. scan sampling 260
ix