Patterns of household management and authority in selected non-traditional families

The study determined the home management and patterns of authority within a lower and middle income non-traditional families. The areas in the home management are child rearing process, budget management and allocation and household chores. As for the patterns of authority, the areas where discipline of children, choice of residence, schooling of children, family resources and investments and recreation and leisure activities. The researchers were able to know the roles that both the husbands and wife perform and how they do it. The study also determined the similarities and differences, the problems they have encountered and the coping strategies they used.The researchers employed a descriptive and exploratory study using an in-depth interview. The interview was done to 10 non-traditional families residing in Parañaque City. Five of the families came from the lower income group while the other half are from the middle income group. The researchers used as interview guide in order to probe deeper in identifying the household management and as well as the patterns of authority.The results of the study indicated that the family is egalitarian when it comes to decision-making process (discipline of children, choice of residence, schooling of children, family resources/investments and recreation and leisure activities). Both the husband and the wife participate in all the aspect of authority. In home management, majority of the low-income families engages more time in child-rearing, budget and allocation and household help. The middle income families on the other hand have lesser participation in the house hold chores because of the presence of the household help. That is why they focus more on work and their children. Both the husband and wife predominantly did child-rearing roles.