Based on our observation, there are more than 70% of parents in Malaysian are working or employed. Socio-economic conditions in Malaysia have contributed to the need for dual incomes for families. Economically, “the number of two parent families below the poverty line would increase if they were to become single income families. Socially, it was the norm, in the past, for women to stay at home having a more expressive role in the family; taking care of the children and providing emotional support for the family.
Presently, women feel that their traditional roles as child bearers and homemakers must be supplemented with a sense of achievement outside the home. In light of the fact that the majority of two parent families have also become dual wage earning families, it is important to examine the effects of such a phenomenon on society in general and on child rearing in particular.
Children acquire their goals, values and norms based on the way that they view or identify with their parents as well as from the quality and amount of care, love and guidance given to them by their parents. Parents who work present a different image to their children than parents who do not work.
In addition, wage earners, including parents, must (in most cases), be absent from the home during the day. When considering these modifications to the family dynamics, there is considerable basis for proof that the positive effects outweigh the negative effects experienced by offspring in families were both parents are employed. The working parent occupies an important exemplary role within the family.
Working parents often command considerable respect from their children, because they demonstrate the worthy characteristics of industriousness, social compatibility, self reliance, maturity, intelligence and responsibility. Because children identify with their parents, the feedback from such positive influences tends to be