Work and Family--Allies or Enemies? What Happens When Business Professionals Confront Life Choices

by Friedman, Stewart D.; Greenhaus, Jeffrey H.

• ISBN13: 9780199848737
• ISBN10: 0199848734
• Format: eBook
• Copyright: 2011-10-01
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

We've come a long way since the classic book The Organization Man first introduced the "ideal" 2-person career--a full-time male breadwinner and a stay-at-home wife. What typified the '50s good life is in stark contrast to contemporary reality: 63% of all married women with children under six years old are in the workforce and 40% of all workers are part of a dual-earner couple.
Work and Family--Allies or Enemies? offers a fresh new lens for viewing the real struggles that business professionals face in their daily battle to find ways of "getting a life" and "having it all." Based on a pioneering study that surveyed more than 800 business professionals, this volume will help readers understand and deal with the effects of gender, professional culture, and social expectations, on the evolving roles of men and women in crafting an integrated life. A rich, inspiring, and at times disturbing look at how work and family affect the lives of men and women trying to manage the complexities of modern living, the authors argue that it is critical to learn how to manage the boundaries between work and family, to handle ambiguity, to manage multiple tasks simultaneously, and to build networks of support at work and in the community. Work and Family--Allies or Enemies? offers a prescription for success that requires that all parties--individuals, employers, and society--clarify what is important, recognize and support the whole person, and continually experiment with new ways to achieve meaningful goals.

Author Biography

Stewart D. Friedman is Practice Professor of Management at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, where he directs the Wharton Work/Life Integration Project. He is currently on leave, serving as director of the Leadership Development Center, Ford Motor Company. He has advised Vice President Al Gore on work and family issues, and his research has been profiled in The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and other business media. Working Mother magazine recently recognized him as one of 25 "friends of the family"--men who have made it easier for working parents to raise and nurture children.
Jeffrey H. Greenhaus is Professor of Management and William A. Mackie Professor of Commerce and Engineering at Drexel University. Author or co-author of three books, his research on work-family relationships, career management, and diversity has appeared in various journals including the Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Vocational Behavior, and the Journal of Applied Psychology.