Families That Work: Policies for Reconciling Parenthood and Employment

Balancing work and family life is a problem affecting a large share of Americans today. Families That Work is a significant contribution to a growing literature on this subject. Janet Gornick and Marcia Meyers, both professors of public policy, say the U.S. continues to lag behind other industrialized western nations that have institutionalized social and labor policies that promote an equal division of labor between parents juggling work and family responsibilities. As the structure of the American family continues to change, the authors say, private solutions to solving conflicts between work and family life are no longer tenable. Their book illustrates how the U.S. falls short compared to Canada and many European countries on critical quality-of-life indicators including wage losses associated with working part-time, gender inequality in the labor market and at home, family poverty, and child well-being. In their comparative analysis, they make a strong case for an expanded role by the U.S. government to help decrease the time squeeze on employed parents, enhance the well-being of children, and promote increased gender equity in the workforce and at home.