Not only is this situation frustrating for women who must work twice as long, or sometimes longer, then men when they combine their responsibilities of employment and home maintenance, but also it becomes stressful for the women in each family. Improving this issue will increase gender equality because it will make men and women's roles in the home more equal, relieving the short-term effects of the situation, which is stress for the family's women, and long-term effects, which are divorce and decaying family relations. This issue is more important than others because it not only affects the gender roles in society, but it also has an impact on the stability of the family. Project Design

In Michael Moore's recent film, Sicko, the documentary film maker discusses a situation in France in which the government sponsors a helper to lend aid to women who have recently had a baby. In order to eliminate the stress of the "second shift," Swedish government officials should employ a similar system for working mothers. In order to do this, the government must first take a poll of most families in Sweden using a specific question and answer sheet. The sheet will ask questions about the mother's living situation, including whether or not she worked and whether of not had any kind of live-in...

Those who answered the question suggesting that they could use some help to eliminate the "second shift" would be assigned a government- provided nanny, who, for a period of weeks, would not only straiten the house and allow the mother time to rest, but would also teach the men of the family how to become more active. At about 500 per month for these nannies, the government could afford to pilot the program for about 1,000 people. Once this pilot program is over, the service will be made available at a limited cost, with scholarships available for very needy families.
Works Cited

Equality Between Men and Women in Sweden." Ministry of Integration and Gender

Equality. 21 June 2004. Government Offices of Sweden. 11 August 2008 http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/4096.

Gender Equality in Sweden." Sweden.Se. n.d. Sweden.Se. 11 August 2008. http://www.sweden.se/templates/cs/FactSheet____17932.aspx.

Kucera, Lee. "A Woman's Second Shift." The Cupertino Courier. 18 August 1999.

The Cupertino Courier. 11 August 2008. http://www.svcn.com/archives/cupertinocourier/08.18.99/secondshift-9933.html.

Mooney, Linda, Knox, David, and Schach, Caroline. Understanding Social Problems.

New York: Thompson-Wordsworth, 2004.