Robert Reich on Families & Children Former Secretary of Labor; Democratic Challenger MA Governor

Better jobs programs would result in more stable marriages

30 years ago, most men had stable jobs that earned them paychecks big enough to support families. Men’s paychecks have become more precarious. Median wages have actually dropped, and his job might vanish tomorrow. Meanwhile women have streamed into the work force. It would be entirely rational for a woman in today’s economy to say, in effect: “Fella, you can stay with me as long as you contribute to household expenses. But when your contribution stops or takes a dive, you’re out of here.”

So rather than start a government campaign to promote marriage, perhaps a better way to improve the odds that fragile families will stay together is to help men-and women-become and stay gainfully employed. Policy-makers don’t normally think about job training and education as parts of a marriage agenda, but they should.

Balance of family & job is harder in new economy

Along with bigger paychecks and better cell phones, we work harder and longer, says Reich. And the lack of balance is taking its toll on our personal lives. “Each of us assumes that it’s our own fault,” he says. “We fret that we are inadequate workers or inadequate parents or members of communities. But we have to understand that we’re not alone and there are reasons for these feelings that have to do with the way the economy has evolved.”

[Reich personally felt left with] no time, in particular, for his family. Reich jumped out of the rat race, stepping down from his position in 1997 to spend more time with his family.