Study of Men’s Falling Income Cites Single Parents
An excerpt from a New York Times article by BINYAMIN APPELBAUM:
The decline of two-parent households may be a significant reason for the divergent fortunes of male workers, whose earnings generally declined in recent decades, and female workers, whose earnings generally increased, a prominent labor economist argues in a new survey of existing research.
David H. Autor, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, says that the difference between men and women, at least in part, may have roots in childhood. Only 63 percent of children lived in a household with two parents in 2010, down from 82 percent in 1970. The single parents raising the rest of those children are predominantly female. And there is growing evidence that sons raised by single mothers “appear to fare particularly poorly,” Professor Autor wrote in an analysis for Third Way, a center-left policy research organization.
In this telling, the economic struggles of male workers are both a cause and an effect of the breakdown of traditional households. Men who are less successful are less attractive as partners, so some women are choosing to raise children by themselves, in turn often producing sons who are less successful and attractive as partners.
“A vicious cycle may ensue,” wrote Professor Autor and his co-author, Melanie Wasserman, a graduate student, “with the poor economic prospects of less educated males creating differentially large disadvantages for their sons, thus potentially reinforcing the development of the gender gap in the next generation.”
The fall of men in the workplace is widely regarded by economists as one of the nation’s most important and puzzling trends. While men, on average, still earn more than women, the gap between them has narrowed considerably, particularly among more recent entrants to the labor force.
For all Americans, it has become much harder to make a living without a college degree, for intertwined reasons including foreign competition, advancements in technology and the decline of unions. Over the same period, the earnings of college graduates have increased. Women have responded exactly as economists would have predicted, by going to college in record numbers. Men, mysteriously, have not.
Among people who were 35 years old in 2010, for example, women were 17 percent more likely to have attended college, and 23 percent more likely to hold an undergraduate degree.
“I think the greatest, most astonishing fact that I am aware of in social science right now is that women have been able to hear the labor market screaming out ‘You need more education’ and have been able to respond to that, and men have not,” said Michael Greenstone, an M.I.T. economics professor who was not involved in Professor Autor’s work. “And it’s very, very scary for economists because people should be responding to price signals. And men are not. It’s a fact in need of an explanation.”
Read more HERE: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/business/economy/as-men-lose-economic-ground-clues-in-the-family.html
Divorce Corp
Divorce Corp is an explosive new documentary that exposes the appalling waste, and shameless collusive practices within the U.S. family law industry. More money and more people flow through the family courts than any other court system in America combined – now grossing over $50 billion a year.
5 Things Fathers Need To Know Before Getting Divorced
Lets say, you had a great marriage. A few years go by and the sparkle is gone and shine has worn off. You have kids and you have been an active, engaged father. You’re involved in a real, meaningful way and you have been emotionally connected to your children. Now you feel your marriage is starting to fall apart. It is “irrevocable broken.”
What happens if, your wife decides to call it off?
What if YOU decide to call it off?
Every father must the aware of how the family court system works so he does not inadvertently give away his rights to his children.
Here are 5 things that active fathers should know before they set foot in a courtroom:
1. Do not move out of the family home. No matter what the mother of your children does or says, under no circumstances will you agree to leave your children. Once you leave the family home, many fathers are unaware they are agreeing to become the noncustodial parent. Once this is agreed to, it is almost impossible to change. If you leave, it radically reduces your chance for custody. If your cases ever comes to litigation, you may be portrayed as a father who turned his back on the children. Once you leave, you may never get a chance to get back in. If no custody order is in place, and you move out, you are granting your spouse de facto custody of your children. If you leave, you increase the chances of immediately exposing yourself to petitions for child and spousal support. When you leave, you can potentially abandon all joint possessions and even possibly your personal possessions. There is a lot of pressure put on fathers by friends, family, colleagues and especially lawyers to force them to agree to relinquish parental rights and diminish his fundamental parental rights to care for his own children. Once you are gone, there is a slim chance of returning to the status quo. Stability in the home is what is most important.
2. Do not engage in any verbal battles. Even though it may be incredibly intense, stay under complete control. Do not engage in any kind of verbal or physical confrontation with your future ex. I know, it’s difficult being around a person who gets on your last nerves. Your partner knows how to push your buttons. It’s probably because they installed them. Find a way to disconnect the power. The best way to do that is silence. Do not say a word to your ex about anything except things that pertain to the children’s welfare. Anything else is off limits. If she becomes confrontational, walk away and avoid close contact. Make the only dialogue between the two of you be about the care and well-being of the children and the day-to-day running of the home. If your spouse provokes you and threatens you in any way, withdrawal to a safe place and call the police. If you simply must communicate directly to your spouse regarding matrimonial issues, do so in a written note.
3. Never argue in front of your children. The children love you both equally and your criticisms of one another will only confuse them. Eventually, the children will see through the criticisms. Kids tend to rebel against the trash-talking parent when they get older and see through the parent who was lying. Never argue about aspects of your case or any other major issue in front of them. This will make them more anxious. Keep the kids business separate from the business of their parents. Children need reassurance and they hate to see their parents fight.
4. Never go to any court without an experienced family attorney. If you attempt to enter court without a good family lawyer, expect a malicious beat down. I made that mistake once and it wasn’t pretty. Make sure your lawyer is an experienced family law specialist. You also must understand that fathers have equal protection under the law. Fathers serve themselves best by making themselves aware of the judicial process they will face before calling an attorney. Hold your lawyer accountable. Lawyers often are too embedded in perversions of the family court process and are afraid of harming their future status by upsetting judges. It’s highly unlikely they will give you all of your options. Judges and lawyers feel they may do as they wish because of the power and influence of radical special interest groups that profit from the denial of a father’s right to parent his children.Your attorney works for you, not the other way around. If you want to have the relationship with your children you truly desire, you must do your due diligence.
5. NEVER GIVE UP. Yes, it is true that the family court system continues to be biased in favor of mothers. It is slowly changing due to new shared parenting laws and increased advocacy from both men and women who see the adverse effects of widespread fatherlessness. Yet, the bias still exists. It is incredibly frustrating to watch family court judges, magistrates or mediators allow a mother to ramble on about her case and yet, not give a father even a moment to respond in support of his. Never get so frustrated about this that you start to lose your composure. Patience is a great virtue in family court. As hard as it may be, a father must put his emotions aside temporarily. If you are a responsible parent and put your child’s welfare first, then you have a great chance to gain custody.
I understand what fathers deal with in family court. I’ve been there. Read THIS and you’ll understand my story: Why I REFUSE to pay child support: http://www.socraddockmethod.com/2012/05/07/why-i-refuse-to-pay-child-support/
One thing I learned in my divorce was that I had options. I founded SoCraddock Method Consulting shortly after my ordeal so that fewer fathers would deal with the things I endured. I have been instrumental in offering alternatives to the typical divorce settlement for several clients.
My private consulting sessions are geared towards fathers who are about to enter a divorce or who are currently involved in legal proceedings.
Disclaimer:The SoCraddock Method is not a law firm and I am not an attorney. I cannot give legal advice or legal counsel, but I work with fathers who need to understand things that lawyers may not reveal. My approach with my clients is direct, to the point and is geared towards achieving the results that are best for you and your family. If you feel like you will wind up like every other divorced dad, think again. Most of my clients deal with the same types of situations as I dealt with a few years ago. There is a similar thread in most divorce proceedings, yet each one is unique.
If you have questions about this, my business phone is (646) 926-1430 or e-mail me at cl*****@so**************.com
Falsely accused of rape?
A horrifying story. Do you want this to happen to your son?
For Caleb Warner, weekends still revolve around sports and hanging out with his friends. But life hasn’t been so carefree in the four years since he met a young woman.
“We met at a party,” Warner told America Tonight. “And, I don’t know, we just kinda made eye contact. And, you know, one thing led to another.”
On Dec. 13, 2009, Warner, then a junior at the University of North Dakota, attended a party thrown by his fraternity, Phi Delta Theta. There, he met a freshman who caught his eye. They played beer pong in the basement of the fraternity house, later making out. Soon after that, they would head into a side room to have sex. When they were done, Warner says they exchanged numbers and went their separate ways.
“I liked her,” Warner said. “She was, she was fun. She was a fun person to hang out with.”
Warner said he and the freshman were “sexting,” and that both of them were keen on hooking up again. Later in the week, she came over to his house off campus to watch a movie. After they started kissing, Warner says they went up to his room and had sex. Holding her in his arms, the freshman suggested to Warner about the idea of him being her boyfriend. He told her he wasn’t sure, but enjoyed hanging out with her.
The next morning, they had sex again before Warner drove her home. He said he received a text later on from the freshman. “Don’t ever talk to me again.”
After the holiday break, an administrator pulled Warner out of class. To Warner’s surprise, he was asked about that night in mid-December, the night he watched a movie with his new freshman friend. After learning why he was pulled out of class, Warner called his mother.
“When he told me what he had been accused of, I felt like somebody hit me in the stomach,” said his mother, Sherry.
According to the incident report, the young woman filed a sexual assault charge with the university against Warner. The report stated that she requested a rape kit from a local hospital.
“That night, I was sexually assaulted by someone I thought was a friend,” she said in the statement. “The experience was brutal and being completely sober, and knowing what exactly happened made it worse.”
Two weeks later, Warner faced a disciplinary hearing on campus, which would ultimately decide his fate. He had a lawyer, but Warner said the attorney was not allowed to speak. He said he wasn’t allowed to question his accuser. During one point of the accuser’s story, she ran out of the room crying.
“I knew she was lying,” Warner said. “I mean, everything she said, it just wasn’t true and it was opposite of what had actually happened.”
A ‘preponderance of evidence’
As correspondent Chris Bury points out in his report airing Thursday on America Tonight, the standard of guilt was far lower than for a criminal courtroom. In Warner’s case, he says a “preponderance of evidence” was in effect. A student is found guilty not if his or her guilt is “beyond a reasonable doubt,” but simply if it’s “more likely than not.” Only slightly more than 50-percent belief in guilt is required.
The lower bar isn’t just an isolated situation at North Dakota. In fact, it’s the standard for nearly all colleges. In 2011, the Department of Education advised schools that “preponderance of the evidence is the appropriate standard for investigating allegations of sexual harassment or violence.” Schools that don’t comply with the rule are at risk of losing their federal funding.
The federal standard does no favors for accused students like Warner. In February 2010, the University of North Dakota student relations committee found Warner guilty. As part of his punishment, he was banned from campus for at least three years.
When he told me what he had been accused of, I felt like somebody hit me in the stomach. – Sherry Warner-Seefeld
During his final comment to the university committee, Warner, overwhelmed with emotion, broke down.
“I remember I dropped to my knees and then I just – that’s when I really lost it,” he said.
Read the rest of the story here: http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/america-tonight/america-tonight-blog/2013/10/31/for-the-falsely-accusedmovingonfromrapistbrandingachallenge.html
Why women still need husbands
Well, here’s a way to get people talking:
An excerpt from this article: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/11/22/why-women-still-need-husbands/
Over the past several decades, America has witnessed a profound change in the way women view men and marriage. It began with the baby boomer adage “never depend on a man.”
This message resulted in a generation of women who turned their attention away from the home and onto the workforce. They did what their mothers told them to do: they became financially independent so they’d never have to rely on a husband.
In time, “never depend on a man” turned into the full-blown belief that men are superfluous. In 2010 Jennifer Aniston claimed women needn’t “fiddle with a man” to have a child.
Financial independence is a great thing, but you can’t take your paycheck to bed with you.
This may strike you as an isolated case of stupidity, but Aniston’s willingness to put it out there speaks volumes about modern cultural attitudes. No actress would have said such a thing in the 70s, 80s, or even early 90s.
Fortunately, most women come to the realization that they do, in fact, need a man—at least if they want a family.
Financial independence is a great thing, but you can’t take your paycheck to bed with you. And there’s nothing empowering about being beholden to an employer when what you really want is to have a baby. That’s dependency of a different sort.
This is the conclusion to which most women have come. Research shows that what women want more than anything else is not to work full-time and year-round but to live balanced lives.
How will they do it? That’s the number-one conversation among women today.
‘Round and ’round we go, asking how women can gain more control over their lives. How can they spend more time with their children? How can they make time for exercise or even a social life? How can they keep their houses in order and still have time to cook? The answer is obvious.
Lean on your husband.
According to Pew Research
, “Dads are much more likely than moms to say they want to work full time. And when it comes to what they value most in a job, working fathers place more importance on having a high-paying job, while working mothers are more concerned with having a flexible schedule.”
That women prefer part-time work is simply irrefutable. It was true back in 2007
And there’s only one way to get it: rely on a man’s more linear career goals. Unlike women, a man’s identity is inextricably linked to his paycheck. That’s how most men feel a sense of purpose. Indeed, research shows men see it as their duty to support their families even when their wives make as much money (or more) as they do!
Read the rest HERE
