Search Results

Mothers' Choices: Staying the Course, Opting Out, or Dropping Down

Mary Ann Mason and Eve Mason Ekman

in Mothers on the Fast Track: How a New Generation Can Balance Family and Careers

Almost all mothers consider, at least briefly, whether they can handle both a challenging career and a young family. Roughly half of women who begin a fast-track job will stay the course, but a ... More

Almost all mothers consider, at least briefly, whether they can handle both a challenging career and a young family. Roughly half of women who begin a fast-track job will stay the course, but a substantial number, mostly mothers, will drop out or drop down to a less demanding track. Doing so usually is not really a matter of choice even though some mothers believe it is. This chapter points out that working parents are forced out by backward family-leave policies, the escalating demands of the workplace, and a society which increasingly points a finger at mothers' ambitions. In this sense, the second tier and a temporary stay-at-home option are welcome alternatives to the rigid 9-to-5 track. But most mothers do not realize that dropping down will close doors permanently, even when a part-time track is advertised as a temporary alternative.Less

Public Solutions: Why Equal Pay and Family-Friendly Policies Aren’t Enough and What Should Be Done Instead

Mariko Lin Chang

in Shortchanged: Why Women Have Less Wealth and What Can Be Done About It

This chapter explains why equal pay and family-friendly policies cannot close the gender wealth gap. Instead, it argues the need for new policies that address the two primary causes of the gender ... More

This chapter explains why equal pay and family-friendly policies cannot close the gender wealth gap. Instead, it argues the need for new policies that address the two primary causes of the gender wealth gap: the motherhood wealth tax and women's lack of access to the wealth escalator. These new policy directions include providing paid family leave, integrating caregiving into the wealth escalator, and engaging men in caretaking. It also argues for the advantages inherent in providing additional mechanisms for supporting wealth-building opportunities for single parents, improving women's access to low-interest loans, increasing opportunities for women's entrepreneurship, expanding the definition of assets as codified in divorce laws, and decoupling affordable health care from full-time employment.Less

Last Lap: Work and Pregnancy

Nancy Woloch

in A Class by Herself: Protective Laws for Women Workers, 1890s-1990s

This chapter explores the legal challenges that workplace pregnancy posed in the 1970s and 1980s. Debates about workplace pregnancy revived clashes about difference and equality that had vexed the ... More

This chapter explores the legal challenges that workplace pregnancy posed in the 1970s and 1980s. Debates about workplace pregnancy revived clashes about difference and equality that had vexed the women's movement for decades. Paradoxically, pregnancy, a badge of difference, served as a springboard to advances in equal rights. As that happened, the new direction in pregnancy policy underscored the doom of single-sex protective laws. The most enduring steps in shaping pregnancy policy were the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 (PDA), which barred discrimination against pregnant workers; the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA), which offered up to twelve-week unpaid leaves to employees in larger enterprises for family and medical emergencies; and the Johnson Controls decision of 1991, which barred fetal protection regulations as a form of sex discrimination.Less

Parental choice and the passion for equality in Finland

Minna Salmi

in Politicising parenthood in Scandinavia: Gender relations in welfare states

This chapter gathers survey data and analyses the outcome of the 1990s family policy reforms using a gender equality perspective. It examines two different policy reforms: the parents' views on the ... More

This chapter gathers survey data and analyses the outcome of the 1990s family policy reforms using a gender equality perspective. It examines two different policy reforms: the parents' views on the arrangement of parental leave and how it should be shared by the parents, and the issue of parents' choice of day care or cash grant for care. The analysis suggests that the new ways of developing family leave arrangements are in disharmony with the wishes of men and women who currently live in families with young children.Less

Family leave and employment in the EU: transition of working mothers in and out of employment

Anita Haataja

in Care and social integration in European societies

This chapter discusses the problems of producing and presenting the employment status of those parents who take advantage of any kind of statutory family leave. It also describes the way in which ... More

This chapter discusses the problems of producing and presenting the employment status of those parents who take advantage of any kind of statutory family leave. It also describes the way in which definitions of employment, unemployment and opting out of employment have been criticised from the gender perspective. The current definitions of how people on family leave are supposed to be classified in labour force statistics, and what practical problems there are in different countries, are explained. Moreover, the chapter shows the similarities and differences in present leave schemes and that classifications between activity or inactivity vary across the European Union member states. The conclusion drawn from the problems presented is that more ‘visible’ take-up rates of different kinds of family leave would give more accurate information of the labour market situation of mothers and fathers than the currently available statistics.Less

Class Disparities, Market Fundamentalism, and Work–Family Policy: Lessons from California

Ruth Milkman

in On Gender, Labor, and Inequality

This chapter examines class disparities in existing access to work–family support in the context of market fundamentalism. It begins with a discussion of class disparities in time use and access to ... More

This chapter examines class disparities in existing access to work–family support in the context of market fundamentalism. It begins with a discussion of class disparities in time use and access to employer-provided benefits that facilitate work–family reconciliation, along with an overview of market fundamentalism and business objections to work–family policy. It then analyzes California's 2002 law that created a paid family leave program covering all private-sector employees in the state. It shows that advocates for paid leave built a broad coalition in support of the law and prevailed despite organized business' strong opposition to the measure. However, the longstanding class disparities in access to paid family leave were only partially alleviated. The chapter also highlights the importance of class differences among women in relation to paid family leave.Less

The Politics of Family Leave, Past and Present

Ruth Milkman and Eileen Appelbaum

in Unfinished Business: Paid Family Leave in California and the Future of U.S. Work-Family Policy

This chapter analyzes the politics of family leave. Political alignments on such topics are highly predictable, with most Republican elected officials and business lobbyists consistently opposing ... More

This chapter analyzes the politics of family leave. Political alignments on such topics are highly predictable, with most Republican elected officials and business lobbyists consistently opposing legislative proposals for family leave, while Democrats and organized labor tend to support such initiatives. Among the broader population, there is a much weaker relationship between political identification and attitudes toward family leave. Ultimately, the popular support for paid family leave made it possible to build a broad political coalition composed of women's groups, senior citizens' organizations, children's advocates, and labor unions to win passage of California's paid family leave (PFL) bill in 2002. The strong support provided by organized labor was also especially critical to the campaign's success.Less

United States: leave policy, failure and potential

Gayle Kaufman

Peter Moss, Ann-Zofie Duvander, and Alison Koslowski (eds)

in Parental Leave and Beyond: Recent International Developments, Current Issues and Future Directions

The United States is far behind other countries when it comes to paid leave for parents. While there have been efforts since the 1980s to introduce legislation, the current federal policy (Family and ... More

The United States is far behind other countries when it comes to paid leave for parents. While there have been efforts since the 1980s to introduce legislation, the current federal policy (Family and Medical Leave Act or FMLA) only offers 12 weeks of unpaid leave and only 59% of American workers are eligible for this leave; even among working adults who are eligible for FMLA, less than two-fifths can afford to take this unpaid leave. At the state level, California was a trailblazer in passing paid Family Leave in 2002, and New Jersey, Rhode Island and New York have followed suit. Recently, several companies have made news with their announcements about introducing and expanding paid Parental Leave. While a majority of Americans supports some kind of paid leave policy, the most recent legislation introduced at the federal level has nevertheless failed to pass. Some reasons include low relative importance, disagreement in policy implementation, concern over the impact on businesses, and an American value system that emphasizes individualism over welfare programs.Less

Becoming a Father

Gayle Kaufman

in Superdads: How Fathers Balance Work and Family in the 21st Century

This chapter focuses on the transition to fatherhood. It presents the experience of becoming a father, focusing on both changes in attitudes about the importance of work and decisions regarding ... More

This chapter focuses on the transition to fatherhood. It presents the experience of becoming a father, focusing on both changes in attitudes about the importance of work and decisions regarding family leave around the time of birth. In becoming a father, men consider this transition to be more than simply having a baby. Rather, many fathers express how being a dad is a choice, a role that is not simply passive but one that requires active involvement. This realization often changes men's attitudes concerning the relative importance of work versus family. Decisions regarding family leave are most notably affected by what is available. Because the United States does not offer paid leave, most fathers use accumulated vacation days, rely on the goodwill of their immediate supervisor and informal practices, or outright experience resistance from employers and co-workers.Less

Responding to Legal Mandates: Coauthored With Karen Cherwony

Felice Davidson Perlmutter, Darlyne Bailey, and F. Ellen Netting

in Managing Human Resources in the Human Services: Supervisory Challenges

This chapter discusses critical legislation that impacts professionals within human service organization. Information is provided about various laws that affect the workplace (e.g., The Family Leave ... More

This chapter discusses critical legislation that impacts professionals within human service organization. Information is provided about various laws that affect the workplace (e.g., The Family Leave Act, The Equal Opportunity Act, The Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination Act). Case examples are presented to familiarize managerial supervisors with the issues and approaches to be considered in meeting legal mandates.Less

Introduction: The Case for Paid Family Leave

Ruth Milkman and Eileen Appelbaum

in Unfinished Business: Paid Family Leave in California and the Future of U.S. Work-Family Policy

This introductory chapter provides a background of California's paid family leave (PFL) program. Since 1993, the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) has guaranteed unpaid job-protected leaves ... More

This introductory chapter provides a background of California's paid family leave (PFL) program. Since 1993, the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) has guaranteed unpaid job-protected leaves for new parents of up to twelve weeks. However, it makes such leaves available to only about half of the U.S. labor force, and even those who are covered often cannot afford to take unpaid leaves. As a result, millions of American workers are regularly forced to choose between economic security and providing vital care for their families. California made history on September 23, 2002, when Governor Gray Davis signed a bill creating the nation's first comprehensive paid family leave program. California's PFL program provides up to six weeks of partial wage replacement for eligible workers who take time off to bond with a new child or to care for a seriously ill family member.Less

Paid Family Leave and California Business

Ruth Milkman and Eileen Appelbaum

in Unfinished Business: Paid Family Leave in California and the Future of U.S. Work-Family Policy

This chapter turns to the impact of the paid family leave (PFL) program on employers. Companies have easily adapted to the implementation of PFL over the past decade, and their widely voiced concerns ... More

This chapter turns to the impact of the paid family leave (PFL) program on employers. Companies have easily adapted to the implementation of PFL over the past decade, and their widely voiced concerns about the abuse of and negative effects on productivity and profitability have proven to be almost entirely unwarranted. In fact, many employers have experienced cost savings as a result of PFL. The new program indirectly subsidizes employers who previously provided other forms of wage replacement during family leaves, insofar as their employees draw on the state's PFL benefits instead. Only a few employers have experienced additional costs as a result of the introduction of PFL, but even they have benefited from improved worker morale and reduced turnover.Less

The Reproduction of Inequality

Ruth Milkman and Eileen Appelbaum

in Unfinished Business: Paid Family Leave in California and the Future of U.S. Work-Family Policy

This chapter assesses some limitations of the paid family leave (PFL) program's effectiveness. Awareness of PFL remains extremely limited among Californians. Although support for the idea of PFL is ... More

This chapter assesses some limitations of the paid family leave (PFL) program's effectiveness. Awareness of PFL remains extremely limited among Californians. Although support for the idea of PFL is extensive across the state's diverse population groups, the most eligible residents are not even aware that the program exists. Moreover, awareness is lowest among those who would benefit most from the program: Latinos, low-wage workers, younger employees, and immigrants. This has substantially limited the potential of PFL to act as a social leveler by making wage replacement for family leaves universally available, rather than being largely confined to the best-paid segments of the workforce. Unless awareness of PFL grows among the rest of the workforce, the stark economic inequalities that characterize twenty-first century California will be reinforced rather than ameliorated by the program.Less

How Americans View Foreign Models

Katerina Linos

in The Democratic Foundations of Policy Diffusion: How Health, Family, and Employment Laws Spread Across Countries

This chapter presents original experimental public opinion data about Americans’ views on health and family reforms. Surveying representative samples of U.S. respondents shows that even American ... More

This chapter presents original experimental public opinion data about Americans’ views on health and family reforms. Surveying representative samples of U.S. respondents shows that even American voters respond substantially to information from abroad, and that United Nations recommendations trigger stronger responses than information about the practices of foreign governments. Consistent with the proposed theory, voters predisposed to be skeptical of redistributive social policy initiatives—such as Republicans—and voters with limited information about social policy programs, respond especially strongly to information from abroad. This chapter also examines whether politicians anticipate and work to elicit this positive response. It presents policy debates surrounding the two most recent major reforms in these areas: adoption of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and adoption of the 1994 Family and Medical Leave Act. Qualitative data on the U.S. adoption of universal health care and family leave show that members of Congress and the president often refer to foreign models, but not necessarily to the most successful or relevant foreign models. Instead, U.S. politicians systematically refer to countries that are prominent in the U.S. media.Less

Challenges of Legislative Implementation

Ruth Milkman and Eileen Appelbaum

in Unfinished Business: Paid Family Leave in California and the Future of U.S. Work-Family Policy

This chapter examines how the paid family leave (PFL) program has functioned over the past decade, reviewing the details of the program's operation and presenting data on the ways in which California ... More

This chapter examines how the paid family leave (PFL) program has functioned over the past decade, reviewing the details of the program's operation and presenting data on the ways in which California workers have utilized PFL. It particularly highlights the fact that male PFL claims for bonding with a new child have increased substantially and steadily over the years since the program began operating. This suggests that PFL may be helping to reduce gender inequality in the division of household and family responsibilities. However, two continuing concerns stand out: the limited awareness among Californians of PFL's availability, on the one hand, and the complexity of coordinating PFL with other state and federal laws providing rights to family leaves, on the other.Less

Lessons Learned about Sharing the Work

Myra Strober and John Donahoe

in Sharing the Work: What My Family and Career Taught Me about Breaking Through (and Holding the Door Open for Others)

What does one have to do to create a life that includes both a successful career and a loving family? The success of Sheryl Sandburg’s book, Lean In, is testimony to women’s fervent wish to succeed ... More

What does one have to do to create a life that includes both a successful career and a loving family? The success of Sheryl Sandburg’s book, Lean In, is testimony to women’s fervent wish to succeed at demanding jobs. But leaning in--hard work, perseverance and effectiveness—is not enough and cannot by themselves generate occupational equity. For a woman to achieve power, she needs a favorable legal environment, a societal ideology that promotes gender equality, institutions that actively support her aspirations, and allies, both male and female who lend a hand along the way.Widespread success requires a world where society and employers meet women half way. In my own career, President Johnson’s Executive Orders 11246 and 11374, and Bernice Sandler and the Women’s Equity Action League’s complaint to the U.S. Department of Labor were critical for my success. The value of male allies is inestimable. There is no optimum time to have a child; there are advantages and disadvantages to both early and late parenthood. The most important career decision you will make is whom you partner with or marry. Forgiveness is critical to moving on in life. Although nobody can “have it all,” two people committed to two demanding careers and a family can succeed at both, but they must prioritize their activities carefully. Work and family are rarely in balance. It is important to keep an eye out to discern when the imbalance requires correction. Public policies are inextricably linked to achievement of personal and professional goals. The gender revolution has stalled; women are still paid less than men and their representation in the C-suite and on corporate boards remains low. In academia, problems continue as well, particularly in business schools. New legislation providing for paid parental leave is high on the list of policies that need change. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides only unpaid leave for certain employees. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has proposed a bill for paid leave, but it has languished. Child care should be subsidized for those whose incomes are low, and the quality of child care needs to be improved, in part by providing more training for those who work with our youngest children. I expect to continue to work on issues of gender equality and the reform of economic theory, and I invite the reader to join me in this work.Less

A Stalled Revolution and the Gender-Egalitarian Policy Agenda

Gina Schouten

in Liberalism, Neutrality, and the Gendered Division of Labor

This chapter reviews the empirical literature on the gendered division of labor, demonstrating that paid work and unpaid caregiving labor remain unequally distributed according to gender and that ... More

This chapter reviews the empirical literature on the gendered division of labor, demonstrating that paid work and unpaid caregiving labor remain unequally distributed according to gender and that political interventions can be effective in inducing families to share work more equally. The main goal in this review of the empirical literature is to motivate the project. I then set out the menu of gender-egalitarian interventions that would be, if implemented, promising strategies for eroding the gendered division of labor. Finally, I explore political liberalism’s commitment to mutual respect, working to get more precise about what the gender-egalitarian interventions in question do, why they are appropriately regarded as subsidies for gender-egalitarian lifestyles, and why subsidizing gender egalitarianism seems, intuitively, to be at odds with mutual respect. The goal here is to build a rough understanding of the reciprocity considerations embedded in the ideal of mutual respect.Less

The Third Shift

Katie Lauve-Moon

in Preacher Woman: A Critical Look at Sexism without Sexists

Chapter 5 presents dual expectations women pastors face in relation to their pastoral responsibilities at work as well as how they go about being a wife and mother, commonly referred to as the ... More

Chapter 5 presents dual expectations women pastors face in relation to their pastoral responsibilities at work as well as how they go about being a wife and mother, commonly referred to as the “second shift.” Women pastors are often expected to take on the lion’s share of household responsibilities. Therefore, congregants assume that they are pulled more between home and work than men, thus resulting in congregants doubting their ability to do it all. Finally, Chapter 5 demonstrates the traditional role of pastor’s wife and how some congregants implicitly assume that the work of pastors will be complemented by the unpaid work of their spouses. Pastors’ wives typically face more congregational expectations than pastors’ husbands, often leaving women pastors in heteronormative relationships to pick up some of the traditional pastor’s wife responsibilities in addition to their own responsibilities both at home and work; I refer to this phenomenon as the “third shift.”Less