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Mothers' employment is widely perceived as having far-reaching effects on family relationships. The main work-life balance policies promoted by the British government focus on the amount of time mothers spend at work. This report challenges this approach. It suggests that what happens inside the workplace and how this interacts with family life is just as important. The report explores how mothers and their partners understand the impact of the mother's employment on their couple and parenting relationships, using a hospital and an accountancy firm as case studies. It highlights the way different aspects of paid work affect family relationships. This report, published in association with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, will be of interest to academics, policy makers and practitioners concerned with work-life balance issues.
List of contents
Introduction; Mothers' work organisations; Mothers' perspectives on their work and workplace; Mothers' perceptions of family needs, social relationships and identity; Mothers' perspectives on connection or separation of work and family life; Fathers' perspectives on the impact of mothers' work: family needs, social relationships and connection or separation; Fathers' perspectives on the impact of their work on family relationships; Conclusions.
About the author
Tracey Reynolds is a Research Fellow with expertise in ethnicity and families. Claire Callender is Professor of Social Policy with extensive research and policy experience in the fields of employment and of higher education. Rosalind Edwards is Professor in Social Policy and has researched and written widely in the area of families. All are members of the Families & Social Capital ESRC Research Group at South Bank University, London.
