Family Income Protection – Going Back to Work

Many couples dream of having both partners work for a few years after the marriage, save a bunch of money to cover the “family lost income,” then have one withdraw from the world of work to have a family and raise the youngsters, and then return to work after the young people are grown and living independent lives. This is an attractive timetable, but not always a realistic one. It is not easy to re-enter the labor market after 15 or 20 years.

If you feel strongly that you want to be a full-time worker after your children are grown, you might be wise to keep in touch with your field or your former business organization, perhaps as a part-time worker, while raising your children. There will be fewer risks that your identity and skills as a worker will be lost in the shuffle.

The household in which the traditional wife and mother works is quite different from the one which has a full-time homemaker. The husband should sense this difference and should be ready to assume his share of household responsibilities – many men do not. Coming home from work is no easy “chair-and-TV” routine for the man whose wife works. There must be a division of duties, and the ones taken on by the husband must be chores he is willing and able to do. If the man in the house will do the grocery shopping or will clean up after dinner while the woman gets the youngsters ready for bed, or in some other way will lighten the load of household work, there is less danger that the wife’s working will create friction in a marriage relationship.

Both however should be inolved in developing a budget which is reviewed and updated each and every month.

As you can see, there are no simple answers to the question of the working spouse. The answer that is right for you should be arrived at after both the husband and wife have thought about and talked over the some of following questions:

Are the emotional as well as the material needs of the children being met? Is there a woman in the household – a grandmother, an aunt, an older sister – who can provide the children with the type of guidance needed which few child-care services can give?

Does the husband feel that the wife is competing financially?

Does the husband feel he is being deprived of his role as provider for the family?

A husband and wife need each other as a companion in fun and a social settings. Can the working woman handle these responsibilities in addition to her job? If not, the marriage is in for trouble.

Is the husband willing and able to help the wife with household chores when they both come home from work?

Does the fact that both husband and wife work give them more in common? Can both husband and wife arrange to take their vacations together?

Is there been discussion and action on how to manage the extra money from a 2 income family?

Are you building an emergency fund with the “extra money” to protect against possible job loss in the future?