I л li II

W-Xyesrs 27-36years 37-Kyms 47-56years 57 years arm over

j!g| It is more important for a wife to help her ' husband's career than to have one herself

It is much better for everyone involved if the man is the achiever '""' outside the home and the woman takes care of home and family

Ш A working mother can establish just as warm and secure a relationship with her children as a mother who does not work

Source: Surveys by NORC-GSS, 1985 and 1986 combined

Reprinted with permission of American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research

• How do you account for the divergent answers to the opinion polls among different age groups?

• How does the role of women in your country relate to the roles described in the texts of this unit?

• How do you think the role of women should be defined?

7. Comprehension

For Middle-Aged Man, A Wife's New Career Upsets Old Balances

1. How are the traditional roles of husband and wife described in the text?

2. To what extent does the situation in 1981 correspond with these traditional role patterns?

3. What is the impact of a wife's new career on her husband's life?

4. Does, from a husband's point of view, a wife's new career also include positive aspects?

5. Why is it particularly difficult for a middle- aged husband to cope with the changing role of his wife?

THE CHANGING ROLE OF WOMEN 141

9 The Political System

^{part A Background Information}

FORM OF GOVERNMENT

LIMITED GOVERNMENT

FEDERALISM

SEPARATION OF POWERS

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

The United States is a representative democracy. All government power rests ultimately with the people, who direct policies by voting for government representatives. The nation's constitution defines the powers of national and state governments, the functions and framework of each branch of government, and the rights of individual citizens. All public officials of the national as well as state governments must swear to abide by the Constitution, which was created to protect the democratic interests of the people and government.

The principle of limited government is basic to the Constitution. When the Constitution was first written about two hundred years ago, many Americans feared that government power could become concentrated in the hands of a few. Several features were created to guard against this possibility: 1) the federal organization of government; 2) the separation of powers among dif­ferent branches of government; and 3) a system of checks and balances to restrict the powers of each branch.

Under federalism, the principle of limited government was achieved by dividing authority between the central government and the individual states. The federal (national) government has powers over areas of wide concern. For example, it has the power to control communications among states, borrow money, provide for the national defense, and declare war.

The states possess those powers which are not given to the national govern­ment. For example, each state establishes its own criminal justice system, public schools, and marriage and divorce laws.

There are certain powers, called concurrent powers, which both the federal and state government share. Examples include the power to tax, set up courts, and charter banks.

Besides the division of power between state and national governments, power is also limited by the separation of power among three branches — legislative, executive, and judicial. In the United States, each branch has a separate function.

The function of the legislative branch is to make laws. The legislative branch is made up of representatives elected to Congress. Congress is comprised of two groups, called houses: the House of Representatives (the House) and the Senate.

Lawmakers from all of the states are elected to serve in the House of

THE POLITICAL SYSTEM 143

DIVISION OF POWERS

POWERS OF THE

NATIONAL

GOVERNMENT

CONCURRENT POWERS

POWERS RESERVED TO STATE GOVERNMENTS

To regulate foreign trade and

commerce between states To borrow and coin money To conduct foreign

relations with other

nations To establish post offices

and roads To raise and support armed

forces To declare war and make

peace To govern territories and

admit new states To pass naturalization

laws and regulate

immigration

To make all laws "necessary and proper" to carry out its powers

To collect taxes To borrow money

To establish and maintain courts

To make and enforce laws To provide for the health and welfare of the people

To regulate trade within

the state To establish local

governments To conduct elections To determine voter

qualifications To establish and support

public schools

To incorporate business firms

To license professional workers

To ratify amendments To keep all the "reserved powers" not granted to the national government nor prohibited to the states

POWERS DENIED TO THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

POWERS DENIED TO BOTH NATIONAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS

POWERS DENIED TO STATE GOVERNMENTS

To tax exports

To suspend writ of habeas

corpus To change state boundaries

without consent of states

involved

To abridge the Bill of Rights

To pass ex post facto laws To pass bills of attainder To deny due process of law

To grant titles of nobility

To coin money To enter into treaties To tax agencies of the federal government To tax imports or exports

HOW A BILL BECOMES A LAW

Representatives. The number of representatives each state sends to the House depends upon the number of districts in each state. Each district chooses one representative. The number of districts in each state is determined by popula­tion. The most heavily populated states have more districts and, therefore, more representatives than the sparsely populated states. There are currently 435 representatives in the House. Each representative is elected to a two-year term.

The Senate is the smaller of the two bodies. Each state, regardless of population, has two senators. The senatorial term is six years. Every two years, one third of the Senate stands for election.

Each house of Congress is engaged in making laws, and each may initiate legislation. A law first begins as a "bill." Once a bill is introduced, it is sent to the appropriate committee. Each house of Congress has committees which specialize in a particular area of legislation, such as foreign affairs, defense,

144 AMERICA IN CLOSE-UP

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

POWERS OF THE PRESIDENT

JUDICIAL BRANCH

CHECKS AND BALANCES

banking, and agriculture. When a bill is in committee, members study it and then send it to the Senate or House chamber where it was first introduced. After a debate, the bill is voted on. If it passes, it is sent to the other house where it goes through a similar process.

The Senate may reject a bill proposed in the House of Representatives or add amendments. If that happens, a "conference committee" made up of members from both houses tries to work out a compromise. If both sides agree on the new version, the bill is sent to the president for his signature. At this point, the bill becomes a law.

The executive branch of government is responsible for administering the laws passed by Congress. The president of the United States presides over the executive branch. He is elected to a four-year term and can be re-elected to a second term. The vice-president, who is elected with the president, is assigned only two constitutional duties. The first is to preside over the Senate. However, the vice-president may vote only in the event of a tie. The second duty is to assume the presidency if the president dies, becomes disabled, or is removed from office.

The Constitution gives the president many important powers. As chief executive, the president appoints secretaries of the major departments that make up the president's cabinet. Today there are 13 major departments in the executive branch: the Departments of State, Treasury, Defense, Justice, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Energy, and Education. As chief executive, the president also appoints senior officials of the many agencies in the expan­sive bureaucracy.

As head of state, the president represents the country abroad, entertains foreign leaders, and addresses the public. As director of foreign policy, he appoints foreign ambassadors and makes treaties with other nations. The president also serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces and as head of his political party.

In the United States, the president and legislature are elected separately, housed separately, and they operate separately. This division is a unique feature of the American system. In the parliamentary systems that operate in most western democracies, the national leader, or prime minister, is chosen by the parliament.

The third branch of government is the judicial branch, which is headed by the Supreme Court. Under the Supreme Court, there are many state and federal courts. An important function of the judicial branch is to determine whether laws of Congress or actions of the president violate the Consti­tution. The structure and functions of the judicial system are discussed more thoroughly in Unit 6.

The division of government power among three separate but equal branches provides for a system of checks and balances. Each branch checks or limits the power of the other branches. For example, although Congress makes laws, the president can veto them. Even if the president vetoes a law, Congress may check the president by overriding his veto with a two-thirds vote.

The Supreme Court can overturn laws passed by Congress and signed by the president. The selection of federal and Supreme Court judges is made by the other two branches. The president appoints judges, but the Senate reviews his candidates and has the power to reject his choices. With this system of checks and balances, no branch of government has superior power.

THE POLITICAL SYSTEM 145

Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances

The President

Executive office of

the president;

executive and cabinet

departments;