Integrating Work and Family: Challenges and Choices for a Changing World

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Despite calls for a renewal of family values and the proliferation of corporate work-family programs, the goal of achieving a healthy balance between the demands of work and a satisfying family life remains elusive. Dr. Parasuraman, Dr. Greenhaus, and the contributors to this well-balanced and thoughtful volume examine this increasingly prevalent social dilemma from a stakeholder perspective. They see work-family tensions as a multifaceted social issue, and they examine the nature and consequences of these tensions from the viewpoints of individuals, employers, consultants, counseling professionals, and other service providers. Their inclusion of legal, cultural, international, and research perspectives and recognition of the unique concerns of vulnerable groups, such as nonexempt employees and ethnic minorities, add to the breadth of coverage. Academics in the social and behavioral sciences, executive decision-makers in government and business, human resource professionals, and employed men and women interested in achieving work-life balance will find this volume insightful, stimulating, and useful. The editors have arranged their book into five parts and 21 chapters. Part I provides a broad overview of the environmental factors impacting work and family. It then identifies the critical issues and challenges facing individuals, families, and employees in managing the complex interdependencies between work and family roles. In Part II they provide a view of the issues from the vantage point of specific stakeholders. Part III concentrates on the role of culture in shaping ideology, policies, and practices concerning work and family and the relationships among them. Part IV examines the impact of career development programs on employees and their families. It also discusses the effectiveness of alternative career tracks, various usages of work-family benefits by women and men, and the roles employers and employees can play in legitimizing alternative career paths. Part V concludes the book by examining the cultural barriers to achieving more effective integration of work and family, and by analyzing the appropriate role of key stakeholders in addressing work-family problems.

Reviews

.,."this book is a valuable interdisciplinary resource for work-family educators, researchers, advocates, and policy makers; the diversity of the chapters alone indicates the multifaceted nature of the work-family nexus."-Work and Occupations
"Work-family conflict has emerged as a prominent social issue because of its pervasiveness and complexity. Yet there has been little cultural appraisal of remedies to this conflict or what solutions do or do not work and why. The purpose of the present volume is to foster informed dialogue and debate among various constituencies that have an interest in solving the problems inherent in this conflict... The book's 21 chapters deal with managerial challenges; views from a variety of perspectives, including legal, cultural, and international dimensions; career development initiatives; and future directions.... [A]ll three of the target audiences (i.e., educators, counselors, and human resource professionals) should find the volume relevant. The book is well organized, contains introductory and summary chapters by the editors, and is well documented. Highly recommended for academic and professional business and social work collections."-Choice
...this book is a valuable interdisciplinary resource for work-family educators, researchers, advocates, and policy makers; the diversity of the chapters alone indicates the multifaceted nature of the work-family nexus.-Work and Occupations
A strength of the book is the inclusion of the perspectives of different players in the work-family arena, usually in the form of commentaries, rather than traditional research reports or literature reviews.-Journal of Marriage and the Family
Despite the proliferation of corporate work-family programs and calls for a renewal of family values, the goal of achieving a healthy balance between work and family remains elusive. The contributors to this balanced and thoughtful volume examine that social dilemma from a 'stakeholder perspective.' The authors see work-family tensions as a multifaceted social issue and examine the nature and consequences of these tensions from the viewpoint of individuals, employers, consultants, counseling professionals and other service providers. Legal, cultural, international and research perspectives are described, and the unique concerns of vulnerable groups, such as nonexempt employees and ethnic minorties, are recognized. Academics in the social sciences, executive decisionmakers in government and business, human resources professionals, and employed men and women interested in achieving work-life balance will find this insightful volume stimulating and useful.-BHR Magazine
This thoughtful compilation...could be of use to labor educators....It has a concluding chapter on the importance of collaborative relationships, and labor educators should find no problem identifying a role for unions when they discuss these issues with labor audiences and helping professionals. This volume's strength includes how it defines the issues and some of its proposed solutions; its clear statement on the deficiencies of most employer work-family programs: its review of the panorama of corporate, helping professional and academic researcher perspectives; and some of its contributors' visions of the future.-Labor Studies Journal
Work-family conflict has emerged as a prominent social issue because of its pervasiveness and complexity. Yet there has been little cultural appraisal of remedies to this conflict or what solutions do or do not work and why. The purpose of the present volume is to foster informed dialogue and debate among various constituencies that have an interest in solving the problems inherent in this conflict... The book's 21 chapters deal with managerial challenges; views from a variety of perspectives, including legal, cultural, and international dimensions; career development initiatives; and future directions.... [A]ll three of the target audiences (i.e., educators, counselors, and human resource professionals) should find the volume relevant. The book is well organized, contains introductory and summary chapters by the editors, and is well documented. Highly recommended for academic and professional business and social work collections.-Choice
..."this book is a valuable interdisciplinary resource for work-family educators, researchers, advocates, and policy makers; the diversity of the chapters alone indicates the multifaceted nature of the work-family nexus."-Work and Occupations
"A strength of the book is the inclusion of the perspectives of different players in the work-family arena, usually in the form of commentaries, rather than traditional research reports or literature reviews."-Journal of Marriage and the Family
"This thoughtful compilation...could be of use to labor educators....It has a concluding chapter on the importance of collaborative relationships, and labor educators should find no problem identifying a role for unions when they discuss these issues with labor audiences and helping professionals. This volume's strength includes how it defines the issues and some of its proposed solutions; its clear statement on the deficiencies of most employer work-family programs: its review of the panorama of corporate, helping professional and academic researcher perspectives; and some of its contributors' visions of the future."-Labor Studies Journal
"Despite the proliferation of corporate work-family programs and calls for a renewal of family values, the goal of achieving a healthy balance between work and family remains elusive. The contributors to this balanced and thoughtful volume examine that social dilemma from a 'stakeholder perspective.' The authors see work-family tensions as a multifaceted social issue and examine the nature and consequences of these tensions from the viewpoint of individuals, employers, consultants, counseling professionals and other service providers. Legal, cultural, international and research perspectives are described, and the unique concerns of vulnerable groups, such as nonexempt employees and ethnic minorties, are recognized. Academics in the social sciences, executive decisionmakers in government and business, human resources professionals, and employed men and women interested in achieving work-life balance will find this insightful volume stimulating and useful."-BHR Magazine

Author Bio

SAROJ PARASURAMAN is Professor of Management at Drexel University. Her research focuses on work-induced stress and its consequences, and on work-family relationships as they relate to dual-career couples. Dr. Parasuraman's research findings have been published in a wide range of important journals, and she is the author of several book chapters and numerous scholarly papers presented at national and international conferences. JEFFREY H. GREENHAUS is the William A. Mackie Professor of Commerce and Engineering and Professor of Management at Drexel University. Among his research interests are work-family relationships, career management, and the management of diversity. Dr. Greenhaus has published widely in the leading scholarly journals, and is the author or coauthor of several books. He has also served on the editorial boards of various academic journals.