Prioritizing the Work of the Family 2023 & Beyond | Live Healthy Live Well
August 17, 2023 by jenkins188
Photo shows work and family teaching resources from the 1970s. It always helps to “look backward to look forward”.
Earlier this summer I attended the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) 114th Annual Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. The four-day conference is a national exhibition convened by FCS professionals to explore the field of study focused on the science and the art of living and working well in our complex world. WOW! What an important profession.
I attended a session at the conference titled “From Home Economics to Home Equity – How Education Can Help Close the Chore Gap’ presented by Elizabeth Kinney, Senior Director Communications, Proctor & Gamble (P&G). Her presentation included consumer research conducted by P&G Home Care brands during the pandemic that resulted in an educational initiative titled Home Eq[uity]. Elizabeth also provided copies of the book titled Fair Play by Eve Rodsky to further support our understanding of the topic.
Now for the real purpose of this posting. How do you and your family prioritize the work of your family now and into the future? As I read the book, I shared my learning and thoughts with my coworkers. The discussion started amongst two of us and has spread throughout the office and beyond into our families.
I realized that this experiential learning might benefit other individuals and families as we all are challenged by changing family dynamics as we live and work in our complex world.
Let’s launch our own Live Healthy Live Well campaign to explore the Work of the Family and specifically your family. Follow these steps-
• Identify the daily tasks that are required to meet your needs and wants.
• Identify who is completing these tasks currently.
• Reflect back on the task list and who is completing the tasks.
• Record what you discovered and your feelings about what you learned.
• Identify what needs changed and what should stay the same.
• Plan for sharing with other adult family members.
• Identify what you have learned about the Work of Your Family.
It is time to share back through the Live Healthy Live Well blog what you have discovered about your family and the work they do. I look forward to reporting back the results of our local Live Healthy Live Well campaign to – Prioritize the Work of the Family now and into the future.
Written by: Margaret Jenkins, Assistant Professor, Family and Consumer Sciences, OSU Extension Clermont County
Reviewed by: Beth Stefura, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, OSU Extension Mahoning County
References:
1. American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences https://www.aafcs.org/home
2. Home Equity https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230124005045/en/From-Home-Ec-to-Home-Eq-uity-PGs-Dawn-Swiffer-brands-partner-with-Hello-Sunshines-Fair-Play-to-Help-Close-the-Chore-Gap-with-New-Curriculum
3. Fair Play https://www.google.com/books/edition/Fair_Play/cV6IDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover