Karen Kornbluh, author of "Familes Valued," discusses the changing American family throughout the twentieth century, a dynamic that has gone from the husband being the breadwinner and the wife being the homemaker to a need for both parents to work as well as provide for the house and children. Kornbluh writes, "Today, as years of newspaper stories of mass layoffs, globalization, rising costs of living, and lower wages make clear, Americans no longer rely on stable careers, nor do they assume that they will earn enough to raise a family on one salary" (38).
"Juggler families" arose out of these financial instabilities and made two income families the norm. Kornbluh writes, "Parents in these new juggler families are working more and more hours, but earnings have stagnated, and so the additional income is often needed just to pay the bills" (38).
Introducing a sitcom in the late 80's/early 90's that centered around two working parents trying to juggle paying the bills with raising their children helped to make Roseanne and the Conner family relatable to America, many of whom were the same kinds of working-class people simply trying to get by.
In the episode "Take my Bike... Please!" the Conner family is falling apart as Roseanne is working fifteen hour days at the restaurant and bike shop.
"Juggler families" arose out of these financial instabilities and made two income families the norm. Kornbluh writes, "Parents in these new juggler families are working more and more hours, but earnings have stagnated, and so the additional income is often needed just to pay the bills" (38).
Introducing a sitcom in the late 80's/early 90's that centered around two working parents trying to juggle paying the bills with raising their children helped to make Roseanne and the Conner family relatable to America, many of whom were the same kinds of working-class people simply trying to get by.
In the episode "Take my Bike... Please!" the Conner family is falling apart as Roseanne is working fifteen hour days at the restaurant and bike shop.