ABSTRACT
Demographic, sociological, technological, and economic changes occurring in the United States in the latter half of the 20th century dramatically altered family life, the nature of work, and the conditions of employment (Christensen 2002, 2005; Sayer, Cohen, & Casper, 2004). The contemporary situation presents new challenges for men and women attempting to balance the ever more complex demands of family and work and for employers attempting to adjust to changes in the economy, the nature of work, and the workforce (see chapter 10 in Casper & Bianchi, 2002). Jobs have shifted from the manufacturing and agricultural sectors to the service sector. Rising rates of divorce and out-of-wedlock childbearing have led to a dramatic increase in the prevalence of single-parent families. Today, nearly two thirds of single parents work.1 Changes in the economy mean that both adults in many married-couple households must work in order to earn a living wage. As Kathleen Christensen explains in the Foreword to this volume, these changes have created a workforce-workplace mismatch in which work and family obligations are in direct competition for many families.
