The fate of the family - Forums delve into two sides of debate

Forums delve into two sides of debate

By Cheryl WetzsteinThe Washington TimesWASHINGTON

The fate of the family is the focus of two major conferences this month. This weekend at the University of Chicago, the Council on Contemporary Families (CCF) will celebrate its 10th anniversary by presenting the most intriguing research on the American family. The 75 new findings "really highlight how the pressures, promises and dynamics of family life have changed over the past 10 years," said clinical psychologist Joshua Coleman, who edited the CCF report, released today. The CCF report indicates that marriage is becoming more egalitarian and more optional, that many women are satisfied living a single life, and that, despite their workloads, modern parents are spending more time with their children than parents in the "golden era" of the nuclear family in 1965. Married mothers spent 12.9 hours a week caring for their children in 2000, compared with 10.6 hours a week in 1965, while fathers more than doubled their weekly child care from 2.6 hours to 6.5 hours, said research by University of Maryland sociology professor Suzanne M. Bianchi. One big reason, she and her colleagues found: less time spent on housework. CCF speakers this weekend include some 30 family scholars, including Evergreen State College history professor Stephanie Coontz and Philip A. Cowan and Carolyn Pape Cowan, both professors emeritus at the University of California at Berkeley.