Suchergebnisse

AbstractWork–family policies are commonly thought to aid parents in attending to their conflicting work and family responsibilities. Some scholars postulate that policies might detract from the gendered division of domestic labor, in which women take a greater responsibility for housework and childcare than men, while others expect that policies encourage women to maintain traditional family roles even while employed. A review of cross‐national research in market economies shows that policies are not uniformly related to the gendered division of domestic labor, although parental leave offers the most promising avenue through which the gendered division of domestic labor may be diminished.

Women's entrance into the labor market in large numbers has exacerbated incompatibilities between employer and family interests. Research reveals that conflict between paid work and family responsibilities has been linked to decreased employee productivity as well as decreased family functioning. In this review, we explore the nature of job/family incompatibility, organizational interests in family responsive policies, and the current prevalence of various policies within work organizations. We then review what is known about the effectiveness of particular family-responsive policies on organizational and family functioning. Finally, we consider barriers to further institutionalization of family responsive policy and suggest future research and policy directions.