The impact of being unemployed on your family
For some, having your unemployed spouse lurking around the house will make you want to swallow your tongue. Unemployment affects families in many ways. Living without money will place pressure on any family, but it is not the only ill effect of unemployment. Let's look at some of the negative effects unemployment can have on the average household.
Your spouse should understand the financial situation you're in and help you get through it. He/she made a promise to you that your marriage would survive all catastrophic events and unemployment may be one of those events. Your strong bond of marriage should be enough to get you through the hard times. If your relationship is weak, unemployment can be the last nail in your relationship's coffin. Some married couples have never been through tough economic times during the course of their lifetime. The current economic crisis is giving many folks their first dose of hard times.
Some married couples are not used to spending an entire day with their spouse. Things may be fine the first week of your spouse's unemployment, but give it a couple weeks and watch what happens. Maybe your spouse will start to enjoy this unexpected free time and start to lose the drive to find gainful employment. It can happen, especially if the gainfully employed spouse has a job capable of supporting the family.
Your children may not understand the effects of unemployment, because children of the current generation are not prepared to be poor. Kids can't live without Facebook, cell phones, or Lady Gaga. We have created a generation of children who will be useless without modern technology. Obviously, there are still kids who are raised with morals, values, and work ethic, but they are far and few between. Good luck surviving the effects of unemployment when you are the unfortunate owner of spoiled children.
Unemployment can savagely destroy a family driven by lust for material wealth. Families raised through tough times will successfully survive unemployment, or God forbid, an economic depression. Marrying a strong spouse is always the best advice to survive turbulent times. Raising your kids modestly will make them able to survive tough times as well. Having a loving and understanding family around you during tough times will make any situation bearable.
