Work and Family in America

Surveying current research findings, social trends, and public controversies, Work and Family in America examines the changing cultures of the workplace, family, and home.

Once viewed as a "women and day care" problem, work-family now encompasses a vast and complex set of issues. Eldercare. Fatherhood. Telecommuting. Pay equity. Employee productivity and retention. Feminism. Child care and childcare development. Youth violence. Welfare. Nontraditional families and family values.

This extensive overview of this burgeoning field includes everything from a detailed history and statistics comparing trends in the United States and abroad to key legislation and legal cases. It gives biographical sketches of well-known activists like Betty Friedan, Arle Hothschild, and Rosabeth Moss Kanter. Lesser-known advocates like James A. Levine, director of the Fatherhood Project at the Family and Work Institute and MIT professor Lotte Bailyn, who believes work should be organized around tasks, not time, are also included.

• Covers the initial research on work-family from the 1970s and 1980s to the recent research showing that men are experiencing significant amounts of work-family stress as they become more involved with family life while the culture of the workplace remains largely unresponsive
• Includes an overview of legislation and cases that have impacted the field with particular emphasis on employment laws affecting women—a key component of the study of work-family