What Happens When A Man Lose His Job (Part 1)
“I lost my job today.” “I was laid-off today.” Or some variation of these words has been spoken in the homes of hundreds of thousands of U.S. families during the last year. The unemployment rate is the highest it has been in more than 25 years, providing proof of the “hold” the recession has on our economy.
The total number of U.S. workers unemployed has reached more than 14.5 million. But, the bright spot, if there is one, is the layoffs are slowing down.
Since the current unemployment is 9.4 % and millions of U.S. workers are looking for work many families are experiencing challenges in ways they have never faced before.
But a question I want to consider, “What happens to a family when a man loses his job?”
Since men tend to be the primary (or sole) income earner in many families, when the man lose his job the economic survival of the family is threaten. Depending on the age of the man, not only those in his immediate family, but those in his extended families may be affected by this sudden lost of income.
For example; If the man is over 40 years old, he may have kids in high school and/or college; he may be helping to support aging parents, so the lost of his income can have a “domino affect” on the entire family.
Even though during this season in a man’s life the financial responsibility may be at the highest point; he is able to handle it, because his income is normally at the highest point as well. Therefore; he does not mind it; as a matter of fact; he may even develop a sense of pride knowing that he is taking care of those who are depending on him.
But when the man loses his job and is not able to take care of his family, he can be affected in many ways. He may feels like a “failure”; he may start to lose confidence in his abilities and doubt his “self-worth”; his self-esteem may drop to it lowest point. He may become frustrated, angry, depressed, and even suicidal.
Some of you may be going through this situation right now or have in the past; therefore; you can relate to the items above.
The question I want us to consider, “Why does a lost of a job have such a negative impact on a man?”
I believe, the reason a man may experience this emotional “roller coaster” when he loses his job is because his job is not just what he does to earn money for his family, but a “BIG” part of his identity. What a man does for a living kind of “indirectly” defines who he is to himself, his family and others. His job can provide him status in the community and a big boost to his ego and self-esteem.
When men meet each other for the first time, one of the questions that normally come up during this initial conversation is, “What do you do for a living?” Or “Who do you work for?”
Men use their occupations to relate to each other. For example, Tom may ask Bill, “Who is that guy over there?” Bill says, “Oh; that is Bob the banker.” Or “That is Bob; he is a VP at the bank.”
Since a man’s job is such an important part of his life. “What can he do to minimize the negative affects of a lost of a job?”
In Part 2 of this article, “What Happens When A Man Lose His Job Part 2”, I will provide some suggestions to help men to deal with the lost of a job.
Please provide me your comments on this topic. If you have additional topics you would like to see us discuss, please send me an email or post a comment.
Also, refer this site to other men you know, so we all can journey together!!
For the woman in your life, my wife (Sylvia) has a personal development site focused specifically on the needs and concerns of women. The site is called, www.thedashlady.com.
Also, we have a joint site focused on the needs and concerns of couples (i.e. married, engaged, and seriously dating). This site is focused on helping couples to grow together through personal development. The site is called, www.marriagerhythm.com.
Please visit these sites and leave us a comment about the current posts.
Again, thanks for visiting this site.
Randy
The “DASH” Guy
