Working Couples Caring for Children and Aging Parents: Effects on Work and Well-being

Description

As the baby boomer generation approaches midlife, many dual-earner couples are struggling with issues of simultaneously caring for children while tending to aging parents. This timely book uncovers the circumstances faced by these workers, known as the "sandwiched generation", and identifies what they need in order to fulfill their work and family responsibilities. Authors Margaret B. Neal and Leslie B. Hammer suggest the workplace as an arena for change, proposing that it adapt to the situations of today's workers by providing flexibility and understanding the needs and priorities of families. Based on a four-year national study funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Working Couples Caring for Children and Aging Parents examines: employer and governmental initiatives affecting work and family life in the United States; supports provided to working caregivers in countries other than the United States; the effects of being "sandwiched" on work-family fit, well-being, and work; and changes in work and family roles and outcomes over time. This book will interest a broad audience, including students, policymakers, family care practitioners, IO psychologists, work-life professionals, gerontologists, sociologists, human resource managers, and occupational health psychologists.

"...provides a pretty definitive look at sandwich generation couples. Neal and Hammer do a wonderful job of simplifying the presentation...well-written piece of work." -Sloan News "The topic is timely. Given the tendency for many couples to delay becoming parents until their 30s or even 40s, and the increased longevity of the grandparent generation, a small but significant number of dual-earner families face the challenge of providing care to both generations. This group may grow in the coming years. The interdisciplinary nature of the authorship team is a plus, enabling them to discuss their findings in ways that will interest a wide audience." -Ann C. Crouter Center for Work and Family Research, Pennsylvania State University "The qualitative elements combined with the quantitative data should make the work accessible to a broad audience." -Donna L. Wagner Director of Gerontology, Towson University "This is a very thorough and well-organized volume that has relevance to research regarding work and family. The book's most unique feature is the focus on dual-career couples with multiple caregiver roles. It is also unique in that it tackles this topic in a comprehensive manner through the lens of a large-scale, well-designed study. The study design features are notable in that both qualitative and quantitative work was done, both members of the couple were included in the study, and multiple waves of data were collected. The book succeeds in presenting complex issues in a seamless and highly readable manner." -Tammy Allen Department of Psychology, University of South Florida