Media and Middle Class Moms: Images and Realities of Work and Family

by Descartes; Lara J.

• ISBN13: 9780415993081
• ISBN10: 0415993083
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-02-05
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Written by nationally recognized anthropologists Conrad Kottak and Lara Descartes, this ethnography of largely white, middle class families in a town in the midwest explores the role that the media play in influencing how those families cope with everyday work/family issues. The book insightfully reports that families struggle with, and make work/family decisions based largely on the images and ideas they receive from media sources, though they strongly deny being so influenced. An ideal book for teaching undergraduate family, media, and methods courses.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. x
Media-ting Work and Family	p. 1
Studying a Midwestern Town	p. 20
Media Representations: Constancy and Change	p. 39
Parents' Media Usage, Consumption, and Reflections about Media	p. 58
Work-Family Choices	p. 78
Middle Class Moms: You Feel Guilty if You Work, You Feel Guilty if You Stay Home	p. 107
Isolation, Boundaries, and Connection: Six Case Studies	p. 128
Comparison, Connection, and Common Ground	p. 146
Demographic Data	p. 159
Individual Interview Guide	p. 162
Interview Data Entry Form	p. 165
Focus Group Script and Interview Guide	p. 169
Research Participants' Demographic Information	p. 172
References	p. 177
Index	p. 189
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