MGT444-Fall11

Website Overview: Workingmother.com was established in 1979. When you're a working mother, you need all the help you can get in order to achieve any semblance of work- life balance. Working mothers is a great website to turn to when in need of tips and advice about situations you are facing. The website covers tips, ideas, and inspiration to help working moms balance household, family, and "me time". This website is all-encompassing and covers family life and work life. It also covers the "Three F's": fashion, finances, and food. Today, every working mother has her own bag of tricks, sanity techniques, or survival gear. They now have an indispensable new resource, The Working Mom Survival Guide. This survival guide entails anything from time-saving tips to family travel, as well as, food and nutrition. Intended Audience: The intended audience for workingmother.com is the average working mother in today's society. Today, 26 million mothers, more than 72% of all moms in the United States today, work full or part-time. These mothers need this website to help guide them along in balancing their work and family time. Working mothers can get on the website and learn tips on how to balance their family life and how to incorporate their career in a positive manner. This material is accessible to the general public on-line. Relationship to work, family, community class: When it comes to finding balance between work and family, everyone chooses a different path in life. Whether you chose to be a stay at home mom, work part-time, or work full-time, every mother has a different story. The website relates to work and family by showing how these working mothers can balance their work and family life together. It relates to community by giving all working mothers an opportunity to interact with each other on the website. The website let's working mothers share tips, advice, and ideas for balancing their everyday life. Workingmothers.com originates from the magazine W

The Working Mother website has different categories such as tools for mothers, top time categories for mothers, blogs from moms, and an online organizer for busy mothers. With the title of the website in consideration, the intended audience would be working mothers. In other cases, this website could be appealing to single working fathers, or any other kind of guardian. A majority of the topics are revolve and focused directly to busy mothers who work and take care of the home. However, I also believe that this site could be useful to any busy parent. On another note, some tools and offers are feminine, such as fashion ideas, and beauty tips. This site has a lot of advertisement about projects for mothers to use, and make their lives better. Whereas the blogs are from users and authors of the website, which do have credible stories and experiences. The Working Mother website includes many different articles, blogs, tips, ideas, and much more to offer. One could find this site very useful, when used in a correct way. After reviewing this website, and looking back at what I have learned from Work, Family, and Community, I understand why sites like this exist. Mothers are trying to fulfill two huge roles now, businesswoman, and super mom. People are noticing this, and the stress that comes with it, so they build off that and create things, such as this site, to help the busy moms. This website is entertainment, along with useful information for those busy mothers.

I thought that some of the suggestions and articles I found at this website were great. It seems like they have a lot of helpful organizational tools and advice to offer working moms. One criticism I have is about the image that it projects that working moms should have. One of the top articles that you see right now when you go to their website is about top holiday fashions. Every item in their list is ridiculously expensive, for example, a $345 pencil skirt that the editors recommend and "love". Also, there is a list of the "Most Powerful Moms of 2011", and of course, who is featured as the first photo? A celebrity, Tina Fey. I'm not calling the website evil, I just thought I would point out that some of these little details may actually create more pressure on working moms. Not only do they need to balance work and family, but apparently they have to be able to afford the best clothes and compare themselves to celebrities.

The name of the website I reviewed is Momsrising.org, and the URL is http://www.momsrising.org/. This is a non-profit organization 501(c)(4), which means contributions are not tax deductible. I was unable to pinpoint authorship to one person. The 'about us' section simply states that this is a group of people (mostly mothers) who have come together to address issues related to motherhood and family. Specifically, the group examines issues such as maternity and paternity leave, open flexible work, toxics, health care, early care and education, fair wages and paid sick time. The organization's ideas stem from a book titled, The Motherhood Manifesto, authored by Joan Blades and Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner. It just so happens that Rowe-Finkbeiner is also the Executive Director of Momsrising.org. Most of the articles and other stories on their site do not give credit to any author. The only exception would be the Blog page, but even then, it is sometimes just a first name. This organization seems to me to be basically like a PAC, working to change public policies in order to make the workplace more family friendly. The targeted audience would be working mothers and fathers, but it seems there are many more women involved than men. The website addresses many issues that are important regarding work, family, and community. Many workers struggle with finding affordable childcare and this site has a page directly related to promoting early education and childcare for all. They also promote family-friendly policies such as flex-time, job sharing, and telecommuting. I think this website provides some useful information, but I also believe that most of it is biased and subjective. For example, one of the issues they address is healthcare for all. Included is a link to a question and answer session with Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. She touts that the

And, here's the rest.... She touts that the new health care reform is designed to put you (us) in charge of our own health, giving us more options, etc. However, no one really knows what is going to happen when this takes effect. There are countless other arguments that support the ideas that people will have less access to care, important medical decisions will be made by some 'board', and the number of qualified doctors will quickly decline. Of course, Momsrising.org only presents the side of the story they want you to believe with regards to the health care reform law. Overall, I would consider the website credible because this group does exist. News articles from around the country support their existence. I noticed they had a "Donate" button that takes you to a page where you can make a monetary donation; however, they don't give a 'breakdown' of where this money goes. For example, what percentage goes to overhead, etc? The site appears to be fairly current, as it should be since it is addressing issues that are being faced today. The copyright date only gives the year 2011, but the "In The News" page contains several links to recent press releases. The site is well designed and consistent in layout. I was unable to find a 'help' screen or a site map.

Website Name: National Organization for Women (NOW) URL: www.now.org Website Overview: NOW was established on June 30, 1966 in Washington, D.C., by people attending the Third National Conference of the Commission on the Status of Women. The National Organization for Women is the largest organization of feminist activists in the United States, with 500,000 contributing members. NOW's goal has been to bring about equality for all women. NOW tries to eliminate discrimination and harassment in the workplace, schools, and all other parts of society. The National Organization for Women tries to secure abortion, provide birth control and reproductive rights for all women, end violence against women, eliminate sexism, and promote equality and justice in our society. NOW's goal is to bring women into full participation in society. This includes: sharing equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities with men, while living free from discrimination. Intended Audience: The National Organization for Women's intended audience is women all across the world. It is organized of feminist activists that work to maintain equality in women and men. NOW tries to get their goals across using: marches, rallies, pickets, counter-demonstrations, intensive lobbying, grassroots political organizing and litigation. Anyone who supports NOW's mission is welcome to help support their group in rallying or other options around the world.

*** Continued information for my website review *** Website has a maximum word count. Relationship to work, family, community class: NOW relates to work in the sense that they strive for equality and social justice between women and men. If workplaces are allowing women to perform the same duties as men, this can allow families to ensure higher income for the women. The National Organization for Women, globally and locally, tries to bring equal rights for women and men. Allowing equal rights can help communities prevent sexism or discrimination. Among NOW's 28 founders, was the first president, Betty Friedan, author of The Feminine Mystique. This website has supported documentation to back up its main points, such as being active in today's society. NOW lets women across the world get involved in the equal rights movement for women and allows them to communicate with each other on similar interests. Comments: As being a female, I found this website very interesting. I did not realize the amount of members that participate daily in this movement. I read more about how you can become involved and what it entails. After reading all about it, I am going to try and join and becoming a member.

NOW is an effective organization that has stuck to their principles and aggressively pursued their goals. An interesting side note, Betty Friedan was from Peoria, IL, where a few of us from the class live. It is hard to imagine a feminist pioneer coming from this area and the challenges she must have faced.

MAKING YOUR VOICE HEARD IN THE WORKPLACE WHEN YOU WORK INVOLVES YOU WORKING WITH CHILDREN. CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE AND THIS WEBSITE SHOWS HOW AS EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS THE VOICE IS NEEDED IN THE WORKPLACE TO MAKE DECISIONS. THEY WANT ANYONE WHO IS WORKING WITH CHILDREN TO BE ABLE TO VOICE THEIR CONCERNS THAT WOULD BE BEST FOR THE CHILDREN AND PARENTS WHO ARE INVOLVED. THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT TRAINING MODELS YOU CAN TAKE ON THIS WEBSITE THAT CAN LEAD TO LEADERSHIP SKILLS. THE INTENDED AUDIENCE OF THIS WEBSITE IS INDIVIDUALS WHO WORK WITH CHILDREN. THIS COULD INCLUDE TEACHERS, ASSISTANT TEACHERS, DIRECTORS, STATE OR LOCAL ADVOCATES, FACULTY MEMBER AT A COLLEGE, A TRAINER OR ADULT EDUCATOR, AND A PARENT OR GRANDPARENT. THIS WEBSITE IS EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. THIS WEBSITE WORKS WELL WITH WHAT WE HAVE BEEN LEARNING IN CLASS. IT HELPS YOU WITH YOUR WORK WITH YOUR CHILDREN BY HELPING YOU TO DEVELOP YOUR OWN LEADERSHIP AND ADVOCACY SKILLS. THEY WANT TO HELP MAKE BETTER JOBS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS. THIS REMINDS ME OF THE READING ASSIGNMENTS THAT INVOLVED PARENTS INVOLVEMENT IN CHILD CARE. LACK OF CHILDCARE CAN BE A HUGE PROBLEM FOR THE PRESENT AND FUTURE FOR THE CHILD AND THE COMMUNITY. I DEFINITELY FEEL THIS WEBSITE IS VERY CREDIBLE. THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT CONTACT NUMBERS TO GET MORE INFORMATION. ALSO IT READS THAT THE WEBSITE IS A PROJECT OF THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION. THIS ASSOCIATION IS EASILY FOUND ELSEWHERE BESIDES THE WEBSITE I AM REVIEWING.

I read that as if you were yelling at me the whole time. Perhaps try and check caps lock next time Teri. You can also edit your posts and fix that by the way. Does sound like a useful website though, good review!

I really enjoyed this website because they have their mission statement on their home page to show everyone what this page is all about. I also like how they address that children are the future and without them, there will not be a future. They stress that now more than ever voices are needed at the workforce for decisions on planning and funding. This website has good credibility and was easy to navigate through. Great job!

The United Auto Workers is a union formed for workers in the automobile industry, as the name implies. However, the UAW has expanded its influence and is now helping workers in many different industries to unionize. The website has two main focuses, organizing workers to form new unions and helping workers who are already members to find ways to be active in promoting workers rights. Activism is the larger section of the two focuses. Currently the UAW is working to promote the Occupy Wall Street movement, extending unemployment benefits, and the federal budget. The UAW website is aimed mostly at current union members, and at other workers who might be wishing to unionize. Unions have been a critical part of the labor movement in the past that curbed many industry abuses. In modern days unions have become more controversial, but for many workers in low skill jobs, collective bargaining can be one of their most effective tools for gaining more benefits like sick time and paid leave. I believe that unions like the UAW are the other hope for better work environments, in comparison to my other site about Results Only Work Environments. ROWE represents the best hope I have, where management trusts its workers. But ROWE requires a lot of trust from management, and if management does not trust its workers, then collective action may be the best course for workers to gain the rights they need to take care of their work and their families.

The one thing Karl Marx did not see and the reason why communism was thwarted, unions. This site possible can have a strong appeal to the working class citizen. As i read between the lines of this web site, they are promoting the values for a functioning family unit---employment, solidarity and health. The interface and functionality is pretty simple and from this one can assume who the target market is.

This website sounds very useful, especially for people in unions or wants to partake in them. I am happy to hear that they are active and are pursuing their focuses. Great post!

Results Only Work Environment is about changing how companies view employee time and results. The idea of a results only work environment or "ROWE" is that an employee's time is not tracked at all, only their results. This means that employees can have as much time off as they want, when they want as long as their jobs get done. The website has four main areas, ROWE results, how to move your company to a ROWE, news related to ROWE and normal work environments, and how they can help your company move to a ROWE. The website is aimed both at company leaders and employees. While the site is very informative about ROWE, it is also trying to sell their services. The Results Only Work Environment is my ideal form of work environment, and I believe such an environment could solve a lot of work-life balance issues for many people. The greatest part about such an environment is that employees no longer would be pressured to be away from their family to show their dedication, but only for things that actually matter to their work. One thing about the website does reflect poorly on its credibility. The website belongs to CultureRx a wholy owned subsidiary of Best Buy, but I could not find that information on their website. (http://www.workforce.com/article/20070323/NEWS02/303239971) However, while the website is not clear about this relationship with Best Buy, the relationship with Best Buy actually should give them more credibility. Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson were HR executives at Best Buy when they pionereed the ROWE concept, and Best Buy is one of the first and largest companies in the nation with a ROWE. Furthermore, the program has been a huge success for Best Buy.

Wow! Good job with the investigative work connecting this to Best Buy. How does this program tie into Best Buy's business concept? I know their retail stores still operate on a time clock compensation model. Do they advocate a results only system for higher level employees only?

According to the articles I read, Best Buy is trying to implement this in their stores, but there are a lot of issues with things like labor laws and hours tracking. A lot of the laws are state laws so they may have implemented this in some states by now, but I am not sure if any stores have gone ROWE yet.

The website I chose to review for this paper is http://www.familysupportamerica.org/. I really have no clue as to who created this site or who is involved in contributing to the website. The "About Us" page simply states, "Here at Family Support America, we are dedicated to providing the information, support, and connections that families need to survive. Whether you have questions about child abuse, alcoholism, disciplining children, divorce, or other topics related to families, we can help. And if we cannot help, we will direct you to someone who can." They give absolutely no clue as to who they are at Family Support America. Are they a group of parents, business owners, teachers, or what? Also, the contact page gives the following contact information, "Email admin@familysupportamerica.org Mail 307 W 200 S Suite 2004 Salt Lake City, 84101" This also gives the viewer absolutely no clue as to the identity of the webmaster. I can only assume that they intended audience is parents, but even that isn't real clear. I guess the topics of childcare, child abuse and education are what led me to this conclusion. The homepage does little to excite me. The second paragraph talks about feeding your children only additive-free foods and avoid high-fructose corn syrup and products with MSG. They also suggest you avoid giving your kids juice. Already, I hate the site for feeling the need to counsel me on what to feed my children. I'm not against healthy foods, but I believe that all additives are not bad and as long as I feed these to my children in moderation, they'll be ok. At the bottom of the homepage are links to other websites. These sites are not labeled as supporters of this site, but the absurd collection and lack of relativity make me believe they must be sponsors, otherwise, what does dancewear, micro-bead pillows and scrubs have to do with F

And, here's the rest.... what does dancewear, micro-bead pillows and scrubs have to do with Family Support America? The links down the left page of the home page do provide some valuable information. They also link to some credible websites that offer more information than this parent site. Also, though, at the bottom of each page there is another ad for some product or business that is irrelevant in my opinion. The "Links and Resources" page does not have any working links. Also, the "FAQ" page is blank. The copyright date at the bottom of each page is 2011 so it's quite possible that the site is still under construction. The site has a consistent layout, but that's about the only thing positive I have to say about it. I don't think this website is a very good example of one that focuses on balancing work and home issues. Its main focus seems to be on preventing stress and child abuse at home. These are credible issues, but I don't think this site offers much useful information than the basics. I would not recommend this website to any one.

Erika - I had a very similar experience with my site, http://www.weareoneillinois.org/ They gave little information as to who actually started the site or who maintains it, other than the fact that mine listed a group of entities that support the movement now. Also, to digress quickly, it looks like we are all posting in different ways somehow. The site seems to distinguish between 'bookmark' and 'topic'. When I click 'topic' (under 'Filter' towards the top of the screen) it shows only my two posts, suggesting that everyone else made a 'bookmark', whatever that actually means. Anyway I thought you gave a good review to what sounds like a pretty bad website. If a website administrator is not finished with any part of a site, he/she should have the decency to post a 'coming soon' or something similar. I am somewhat curious because of how poor you made it sound as to who is running it and if they have any idea what they're doing frankly.

THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THIS WEBSITE IS TO BRING RESEARCH ON WORKPLACE EFFECTIVENESS AND WORKPLACE FLEXIBILITY INTO BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY PRACTICE. THE WEBSITE HAS DIFFERENT COMPONENTS TO IT WHICH INCLUDE; CURRENT RESEARCH AND REPORTS, FLEXIBILITY TOOLKIT, THE SLOAN AWARDS FOR BUSINESS EXCELLENCE, FLEX TIPS FOR EMPLOYEES, SUPERVISORS, AND COMPANIES, RESOURCE AND LINKS. IT SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMPLEX AND INFORMATIONAL WEBSITE. IT IS AVAILABLE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC FOR VIEWING AND THERE ARE MANY OPTIONS OF DOWNLOADING INFORMATION THAT YOU COULD PRINT OFF AND KEEP. IT MENTIONED THAT IF EMPLOYEES HAVE MORE FLEXIBILITY THEY ARE MORE WILLING TO HELP THEIR EMPLOYERS AND GO ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT IS ASKED OF THEM. THIS TIES WELL WITH WHAT WE HAVE BEEN LEARNING IN CLASS. THE WEBSITE GIVES MANY OPTIONS TO LEARN ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF FLEXIBILITY AT THE WORKPLACE. THE INTENDED AUDIENCE SEEMS LIKE IT COULD BE ANYONE WHO IS CURRENTLY IN A JOB THAT DOESN'T HAVE FLEXIBILITY AND CAN LEARN THE BENEFITS FROM. ALSO COULD BE GEARED TOWARDS BUSINESS PARTNERS WHO ARE THINKING OF HAVING A MORE FLEXIBLE WORKING ENVIRONMENT. I FEEL THAT THIS WEBSITE IS CREDIBLE BECAUSE IT'S A VERY COMPLEX WEBSITE, AND WHEN YOU CLICK ON A LINK TO CONTACT SOMEONE IT GOES TO ANOTHER WEBSITE FULL OF INFORMATION. THERE ARE ALSO MANY DIFFERENT RESEARCH LINKS LISTED.

Workplace Flexibility 2010 is a website that deems itself a public policy initiative that seeks to implement and recommend policies which promote and enforce workplace flexibility. The website is very informative of their components which include flexible work arrangements, time off, and career flexibility. The website is also informative to the extent that is has a lengthy list of policies both federal and state that foster workplace flexibility. The website seeks to make flexible workplaces a part of American culture. The site is very credible and is implemented by Georgetown Law. The founder Patricia Kempethorne is the executive director of the Twiga Foundation. I feel the site is geared towards employers and the general public for information and support. I am clued to this because the site offers information which will not only educate employees but also employers and seeks support from all individuals. Also, many of the staff are affiliated with Georgetown and can be emailed accordingly. This website falls hand in hand with many of the information we have learned this semester about family friendly policies in the workplace. We have found through many of our readings the importance of family friendly policies and how they can affect employees. Providing a proper work family relationship is not only helpful to the employee but the employer in that it will help provide quality staff who are well trained and retainable. These employees will also be able to handle the responsibilities of their work lives and home lives simultaneously.

This website offered a lot of information to not only employees and employers but the public in general. I completely agree with your targeted audience but the information on-hand is important for everyone to know. I think everyone should always stay informed. Also, the website, or the material in it, is actually part of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's National Iniative on Workplace Flexibility. If I remember correctly, there was a reading assignment that we had that was also part of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Anyway great post and great website!

The CLUW is a national organization for union women that was formed in 1974 to unify all union women in a feasible organization to determine common problems and to ultimately develop action programs to deal with those concerns/problems. The website for the Coalition of Labor Union Women includes several links to expand one's knowledge on the topic and also provides information about what they do and who they are. The website also includes resource guides, recent news regarding the CLUW, and the opportunity to become a member of their organization. This website is informative but also persuasive in the sense that it advocates the participation of others to fight for their cause. There are several articles to access regarding equal pay (or lack there of), videos to watch about worker's rights, and statistics that demonstrate men and women in the workplace. The intended audience would be working mothers. The website is open to all audiences; however there is a little slogan or tagline on the website that reads, "CLUW.org…The online frontline for working women". This would clearly indicate a desired audience of women and future supporters as well as all the topics the webiste covers. Though I could not find an author for the material discussed and available on the website, the information, in my opinion, is credible. The website is orginating from the CLUW and any and all information provided on the website has to do with their practices and is stated as being published by the CLUW. There are other links and materials provided that also appear to be credible. They are from news stories, life experiences, and statistical data and provide source information. Also, all articles, newsletters, videos, and blogs are dated and reasonably up-to-date. In addition, there is contact information left for several members of the organization including the president. The website does contain bias obviousely; however one should be able to tell that just b

Website Overview: Flex+Strategy Group's website is extremely basic and clean, showing employers that they don't want to waste their time or dazzle them with showiness. The website is easy to find one's way around and is laid out in more of a site map fashion than anything else and it has very few embedded photos. This appearance says, "we don't need smoke and mirrors, we get you results." They present their mission statement, in a dissected way on one page, that quickly describes benefits which specifically cater to the employer as opposed to the employee, which I find very smart. They include links to a few actual business plans they created and implemented for their clientele, which includes huge corporations that everyone's heard of such as Quaker/Tropicana and the U.S Navy. Who wouldn't want to participate in a plan that such successful companies have implemented? To the left as you click through the website are non-invasive testimonials super imposed over the words "transform, inspire, move." There are tabs along the top to help you drill down, more specifically, to other areas or, depending on who you are, portals that apply to just you. Intended Audience: The intended audience is obviously employers who may be curious about flexing their staff but most likely have a somewhat closed-minded approach because the website is very much trying to sell whoever is looking at it on the idea and the fact that they need a consulting service to accomplish the task. Relationship to work, family, community class: A large portion of our class was spent discussing the points at which families and work intersect and how they are usually an inverse property to one another and how more time spent at one detracts from the other in a negative way. We've read about how our society is affected when employers are not understanding about people needing to be home for their children at certain times and in certain instances and also to care for

This was a great website Becky! The Credit Union that I work for recently acquired a Credit Union in California that offered a great deal of flexibility in the workplace. They offered babies in the workplace, flexible schedules, and people to work out of their homes to save them an hour commute. The employees really appreciated that their employer put their needs first.

This is an OUTSTANDING website and I am so glad you shared this with us. I really particularly liked the "tips" for individuals. It is so true when they say small changes in your "fit" can make a difference and that you often don't want to work less, but differently. Even small changes can make a big difference. I'm reminded of the "Amerco" employees we read about who, even with flexible workplace options, still ended up working long hours. Even tweaking things a bit can make a big difference. I remember when I once had to start work at 7:15 a.m. My daughter was experiencing a lot of challenges and, due to me having to get to work so early, she often had to make it to school on her own. Because of this, she was late to class many times due to falling back asleep after I woke her up. When I dropped her off at school, she would have to wait outside (in the freezing cold during winter) for over half an hour before someone could let her inside the building. My work start time really caused me a lot of anxiety regarding my daughter... either worrying that she was alone in the cold or sleeping in bed when she should have been on her way to school. I asked my boss if I could change my start time to 7:30 and stay 15 minutes later. She agreed and things worked out to where I was able to drop my daughter off at the bus stop where many of her classmates also waited for the bus. That greatly eased my stress level and anxiety over my daughter's safety. Just something as simple as starting work 15 minutes later worked wonders.

This website is dedicated to helping children improve their lives by allowing them to grow up with committed and involved fathers. This is a great website because unfortunately it is the father that is not involved in the kids life if one of the parents is not. This site tries to educate fathers on the importance of their role in their child's life. They appear on tv or on the website. the site has a dads club and an email so that they can get all the information on being a better father. They will send out weekly hints and emails to the fathers to help them out. According to the site one out of three children live in fatherless houses. This is a big deal because female only houses have a poverty rate of almost 40 percent while married households are only at 8 percent. This shows how important it is to have a father in the household. It is just too hard trying to raise a child on your own. This website is for fathers of any age. It is there to help them understand the importance of them to their child's life. This is relevant because to have a proper family you have to have a father in the house. It is very hard as a mother to be the breadwinner and the caregiver as well at the same time basically. I feel like this website can help to show how important a father is to the household in general as well as the child. No father wants their child to grow up in a poverty filled life so they need to take responsibility and raise the children that they have.

Hi Zach, I really liked the website you picked. I also liked your review, but I have to disagree that, "it is the father that is not involved in the kids life if one of the parents is not," because I have 3 male friends who have sole custody of their children due to absentee mothers; one child has special needs. I can attest to the fact that it is just as hard being a single father, if not harder, than a single mother, because I think as a society we have a prejudice against men playing a traditionally female role, at least that is the picture that was painted in a lot of our lessons this year. Women probably have a lot more support than men do, either because men are not welcome (picture a single dad at an all mommy playgroup) or they are embarrassed to ask for help. I enjoyed that, though this site is tailored to fathers, there's a lot of information that is practical for any parent. The part that I found really touched me was the section for double duty dads; dad's that already have one family but pledge to mentor another family that doesn't have a father figure. There are no words for what a loving and self sacrificing role that is for that man to play. I would hope my husband would participate in a site like this if I wasn't around, at least for support alone; the articles and forums are great! He has me to research and obsess over our parenting currently. I love that there is a resource just for dads. Both your and Kenneth's statistics were shocking and eye opening. I had no idea.

This is a great site and great topic. I agree that there needs to be more emphasis placed on the role of fathers in the context of family. I like the idea that there are parenting resources geared for dads and a system of support. I think more fathers would get involved in their children's lives if they felt comfortable and had some support or encouragement to do so. At the same time, I think some of the facts cited by the website are slanted toward a particular point of view. Though I do think, for the most part, children benefit from growing up in two-parent homes, they are not always the ideal. For instance, the site says, "A study of 3,400 middle schoolers indicated that not living with both biological parents quadruples the risk of having an affective disorder." Maybe there is a correlation (not causation) between living with both biological parents and affective disorders. However, were adoptive children taken into consideration? Do that parents have to be biological? What if there is a step-parent in the home? Does that reduce the risk of developing particular disorders? It seems a little vague and slanted to me.

Care.com is an excellent resource that I personally have used for years and have referred many people to. Basically, care.com is a website which helps families find and hire caretakers of all kinds: nannies, babysitters, last minute back-up childcare, elderly care, pet sitters, special needs care, housekeeping, and even "care gigs" which might include help with errands like grocery shopping or other random help. Of course, this means job opportunities for those being hired as well. Users report that the candidates found through the website are generally higher-quality candidates than those found through agencies because there is a wider base. Anyone can join care.com for free! Families and caregivers can create profiles and post jobs. Background checks can be purchased through the website either by caregivers or by families who are interested in hiring a caregiver who has not purchased a background check. Caregivers can upgrade their profiles for $20 a month which enables them to actually contact families about jobs based on their profiles before the families even post a job, and the caregivers can then also post about their desired job and even be featured as a "featured area caregiver" in search results. There are also articles about hiring a caregiver/finding a care job, and hotlines to call for advice. Also, there is a branch of care.com called "workplace solutions" for companies which hire care.com to help them meet their employees care needs by offering custom-designed websites, seminars, and other help to easily connect caregivers with employees of that company. Care.com reports that "as a result of using the care.com employee benefit" there are shown to be advantages such as: "92% of employees can focus better at work with their family's care needs met", "More than 91% feel more positively regarding their employer", and "More than 60% have been able to improve their focus and work more hours". A few of the companies listed as us

I forgot to mention that you can find a tutor through care.com, or of course seek a tutoring job.

What an excellent resource for parents! I am not a parent, but the majority of my friends are. Finding quality childcare proves to be quite a challenge, and there is still concern. WIth the website offering back ground checks and referrals you would really get a sense of security that your child is in a safe place.

Maternal Employment and Nonmaternal Care During the Early Years 1. URL: org http://www.epi.org/publication/briefingpapers_124/ Economic Policy Institute - www.epi.org---- Working mothers in a double bind: Working moms, minorities have the most rigid schedules, and are paid less for the sacrifice By Elaine McCrate | May 1, 2002 By Elaine McCrate | May 1, 2002 2. Intended Audience: Low, working and middle class income workers, graduate and post-graduate students and working women of all ethnic classes. 3. Website overview: The economic policy institute is a think tank as it's name suggests and it conducts research and engages in the following areas: non-profit, non-partisan issues. It was officially established in 1986 and it's intent was to propose solutions that will defend and ameliorate the minimal pay and harsh working condition of the low and middle class worker. The EPI serves as the voice of the working class people. The sole purpose of Economic Policy institute is to bring forth awareness concerning economic policies and how these economic policies are benefiting the needs of low, working and middle-income workers. One of EPI beliefs is that every working person, regardless of wage status deserves equality in terms of fair pay and working conditions. Their method of impregnating the public perception with accurate and timely knowledge according to the EPI website is by "producing a plethora of research papers and policy analyses; sponsors conferences and seminars; briefs policy makers at all levels of government; provides technical support to national, state, and local constituency and advocacy organizations; testifies before national, state, and local legislatures; and provides information and background to the media." According to the website, the EPI values are: EPI Values * Helping Working People Economic policy should focus on improving conditions for working people. * Truth and Accuracy Matter EPI research should be honest and rigorous. *

1. URL: http://parenthood.library.wisc.edu/Hoffman/Hoffman.html 2. Website Name: The Effects of the Mother's Employment on the Family and the Child Lois Wladis Hoffman, PhD Professor Emerita, Department of Psychology University of Michigan-Ann Arbor 3. Intended Audience: Graduated and Post-grad students, sociologist and economist, single-fathers, single-mothers, divorced fathers and mother, and gay people. 4. Website overview: The University of Wisconsin-Madison General Library System publishes Parenthood. Parenthood in America offers a wide range of topics that focus on the development of children; issues pertaining to work and family; the impact that society has on both children and parents; supporting family and neighborhoods and community resources for families. Overall, this website covers the same topics that were co covered in class this semester. The authors offer an array of wisdom concerning the issues that was covered in class and gives advice on and a logical insight for those in search of knowledge in regards to family and work issues. 5. Article review: The focus of the following article is on the maternal employment and its effects on families and children. Most of the studies concerning maternal employment effects on families and children have its foundation dating back to the 1950's. The statistics was tabulated over a 5-decade period and what it reveals is that a major social change in the United States has occurred in regards to maternal employment over this time span. These statistics is becoming obsolete due to the fact that previous studies conducted in the past are not found in more recent research because of changes in family patterns or in the larger society. Lois Hoffman writes that these changes did not occur in a socioeconomic vacuum; rather maternal employment rates have been accompanied by many other social changes that interact with it. The impetus that has caused this phenomenon is the fluxional nature of family l

From Unmarried America: "Unmarried America is an information service for America's 106 million unmarried adults -- who head up a majority of the nation's households. Our services focus on your interests as employees, consumers, taxpayers, and voters, regardless of your household size or family structure. You will not find a more comprehensive or reliable source of information about this special population anywhere on the Internet. Unmarried America is a function of Spectrum Institute, a nonprofit corporation with federal tax exempt status." The intended audience of Unmarried America is basically anyone who is not married. This can included single individuals with or without children, gay couples, straight unmarried couples, single adults who live at home, etc. This website says it is targeted towards a special class of citizens, the unmarried. While I appreciate their attempt to keep the category broad and not to discriminate against anyone (except for married folks), their focus ends up being so broad as to not be of much benefit to anyone. Everyone who isn't married isn't really specific enough to constitute a "special population." The website is run by the Spectrum Institute which they state is a registered nonprofit. They do not provide any further information about their registered nonprofit regarding what its goals are, how they are funded, or what they have accomplished. They hint at advocating for the interests of unmarried individuals, but I found no evidence of any actual research or activities on their part. At its root, Unmarried America appears to be four people with an opinion that re-blog news stories.

A large part of their website appears to be broken for me, many things that looks like they should be links are either plain text or broken. I was able to read through several parts of the site though, and it is interesting. I do believe that the site slightly mispresents itself. They seem to be focused on equal rights for everyone, including things like homosexual marriage, and ending discrimination.

Christine, sounds like a lot of us are having the same issues with a lack of credentials on sites. You have to wonder if at least some of this is perhaps intentional. Sounds like an odd organization to me, and I think your opinion about it "their focus ends up being so broad as to not be of much benefit to anyone" is spot on. Really sounds like a 'what organization can we start that a huge number of people will automatically fall into and likely donate'? Seems completely unnecessary to me. As to the website problems - it's always a prudent idea to check your webmaster's final product (especially if he's not actually your employee) because they could easily put up something minimal and take the money and run. However, I will say that people who choose to not be married could be a different demographic deserving their own group. Just doesn't make sense to have it so broad like you point out. Also very ironic that it appears to only have four members in whatever respect you were referencing. Sounds very sketchy.

The unmarried America website is a website that attempts to offer advice and information for what they say is the 104 unmarried people within the United States of America. They offer articles within their library about health, lifestyle, workplace, legal issues. They also offer updates about how unmarried people can gain more knowledge about subjects that affect them. As it obviously states throughout the website, the information is targeted to unmarried single people within the United States. The information offered on the website seems to be available to everyone. Although the information offered on this website seems very helpful and credible, the web design of the website limits its credibility. Also, the fact that the website does not seem to be updated on a regular basis. They seem to only add new stories every couple months. Although the website posses over 6,500 pages of information for unmarried people it all does not seem current. The fact that the people who run the website consider it a "non profit information service," gives the notion that they are credible individuals who really aim to provide real trustworthy information. The website does have an online library which helps provide a resource for information. While exploring the website I did notice that unmarried people do make up a large amount of our population. They do make a difference when it comes to voting about issues that affect them. According to an article that took statistics from the U.S. census unmarried households are the dominant living arrangement's within the United States. I was really surprised to find this out. Overall the website still offers some solid information even though it does not seem up to date.

I really liked this review. I had no idea that unmarried people make up so much of the population. I like how you even noticed how the website is not updated very often. Great Review!

Website Overview: This website's motto spells out what this webpage is about, "A World That is Good For Women is Good For Everyone." This organization believes that furthering pursuits of, and bettering the lives of, women will benefit society and the greater good. The website outlines how they do this, through studies, seminars and education and action and assitance programs, not necessarily just benefitting women but as the site says, "put(ting) women's perspectives at the center of inquiry." Intended Audience: The intended audience that this website is attempting mostly to appeal to are philanthropists; those who would be sympathetic to their cause and who would donate money to further it and also those who would spread the word about them, though, it also looks as though they are simultaneously attempting to target educators and/or those who would be educated, to get them on board with what they are doing with the hopes of spreading their theories. There is a calendar of events page that lists several upcoming seminars relating to their work and findings. Relationship to work, family, community class Women in the workforce, as well as in familial roles, and everything in between, were extensively discussed this semester. Women seem to shoulder a lot of the responsibility for society's problems, whether warranted or unwarranted, especially in relation to children and working mothers. We have learned that women's roles are still fiercely debated to this day and that even people who are for working mothers have completely different thoughts about what it means to treat a woman "equally." Should women be treated no differently than men at work or should those women who wish to be recognized as different than men have schedules and benefits tailored to their needs, otherwise referred to as being placed on the "mommy track" which is referenced in our text written by Ann Bookman? This seems to be happening on a case by case basis excep

(the remainder of my post, which was cut off).... t where the government steps in, such as FMLA time vs. maternity leave which sometimes only applies to the person who physically had the child (a mother) or parental leave which usually includes a male parent. Women, whether working or not were vital to our class discussions, whether it pertained to the work force or the family dynamic and therefore, this website, that promotes the betterment of women is absolutely relevant to our class.

The website offers guidance on family, career, money, health, food and travel, as well as sponsoring seminars and online radio shows. The advice provided is purely aimed at women in the workplace who earn a high income and also who are at an executive level. The information is easily obtainable by the public however since much of the advice and material is applicable for the high income earners, is not as useful for the average working mom. The information provided is not that credible or recognized by any reputable organizations, nor do I find any supporting documentation. Most of the information is publicized via social media outlets, such as FaceBook and Twitter, which I think says a lot about the intentions of the website. In researching further, I found that the co-founder, Maria Bailey, wrote a book so it appears to me that this website is more of a promotional tool to sell books. While there is some useful information and advice on the website, because of the lack of backing of any reputable organizations, it is challenging for me to believe in the information. I really think the website is used as a marketing tool rather than a resource for the intended audience.

The website provides studies and research publications about the changing workforce, family and community, focusing on three major areas: the workplace, youth and early childhood. The site is geared and aimed toward American employers, working parents, and community members. Most of the publications relate to the workplace and family, thus the website clearly lends itself to the parent workforce. The material is definitely accessible and readable for the public, with most of the content available for download via the website. The information provided is verifiably credible. Much of their research is used and supported by the US government. They also have some of the largest and most comprehensive studies about the US workforce and its impact on US families, how employers are responding to the changing workforce, workplace flexibility, and multiple other major projects. In addition, FWI is contently quoted and appears in the news everyday in the top media markets in the country. Some of the media agencies, include, The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Washing Post, Bloomberg, as well the top US blog sites such as Motherlode, The Daily Beast, Care2, and many others. Overall it does not appear as there is a hidden agenda or motive for their reports, rather their work is aimed at shaping the work-life movement by raising the awareness about work-life issues with policymakers to support agents of change in business, early childhood and youth development, education and community engagement. What I took away from researching FWI website, is how active they are and how many their reports are either viewed or downloaded. On average their reports are downloaded 123 times per day, which is very impressive.