The objective of this project is to put a face to changing patterns of provisioning within the family. The task is to interview someone old enough to have experienced such changes due to more than just a change in family size. Significant economic events of the last several decades include the “Great Recession” of 2008 and the subsequent “jobless recovery,” and the recessions of the early 2000s, the early 1980s, or 1970s; the boom of the 1950s and the 1990s; and the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Econ/WS 305, page 5
The paper should include: (1) general introduction with background material on relevant economic conditions and on your informant; and (2) a report of your findings, that is a narrative of your informant’s economic history. Economic conditions include, but are not limited to, unemployment rates; average wages, income, or hours worked; etc. Two resources for economic background info are the Census Bureau QuickFacts site at https://www.census.gov/quickfacts (county-level data is available) and State Of Working America at http://stateofworkingamerica.org/.
Some questions to address include:
• Have the number of hours worked by the family as a whole changed over the years? For example, has a family member who previously focused on household labor begun to work for pay outside of the home? Or, has a family member taken an additional job?
• Has your subject experienced an increased reliance on hired help for household tasks? For example during some period was someone hired to do laundry, house cleaning, cooking (note that buying fast food or other take-out food is essentially contracting out meal preparation) or other household chores previously done by a family member?
• Has barter for goods or services played a significant role in providing for the family and has that role changed in importance over the years?
• Has the mix of goods and services consumed in the family altered substantially? i.e., consumer electronic, clothes for school children, home-canned vegetables versus store-bought, etc.
• How has the use of credit changed over the years?