Work and Family: Research Informing Policy

The "juggling act" of work and family that has characterized life in the past couple of decades has become a significant focus of those interested in the social condition. Editors Toby L. Parcel and Daniel Cornfield draw on two major themes for this volume: First, that crucial to an understanding of the interplay between work and family is an acknowledgment of the varied ways time influences work and family processes—and outcomes. This book looks at time in both the macro historical sense as well as through examination of the more quotidian choices involved in balancing work and family. Second, Parcel and Cornfield consider the social policy implications that inhere in these essays. Contributors to Work and Family have been in every case encouraged to think explicitly about how governmental policies, as well as those of individual firms, can be derived from their research. This provocative collection is ideally suited to courses on work and occupations, family studies, organizations, and gender roles, taught in a number of disciplines, and will be of interest to scholars in these areas.