Test 3: Chapter 10 Work and Family

Same sex couples

Both partners likely working full-time Some negative attitudes toward same-sex couples that opposite sex couples do not have

Human capital

Factors such as education, job knowledge, training, and expertise that positively affect job performance and earnings.

History of Workforce Participation

Family wage philosophy -Justified pay disparities based on a belief that in contrast to men, women did not have (but were) dependents Factors contributing to female workforce participation -Economic pressures -Rise of single parenthood -Psychological benefits associated with work Misperception: Women work to supplement their husbands' incomes. Reality: Nearly half of all women are unmarried and 37.6% of women in married couples earn more than their husbands.

Instability

Fluctuations in work hours by week, time of day, and length of shift; being subject to reductions in work hours when work is slow; and involuntary part-time work.

Family Care and Men

Gendered organizational culture: Managers reward those who set aside personal and family commitments and are dedicated to their jobs Participation at home and work is affected by stereotypical gender roles and perceptions Men who participate in family care may be more strongly sanctioned than women who do so -Some men may be given more leeway, however Misperception: Women are better at family and home care than men. Reality: Family and home care is learned behavior; participation by men is good for men, women, and children.

Parents again

Grandparents caring for grandchildren, with or without having formal custody.

Parents Again

Grandparents who become responsible for their grandchildren due to: -Teenage pregnancy -Substance abuse or imprisonment of the parents -Child abuse, neglect, and abandonment -Death of the child's parents Coresident grandparents - 7 million women and 1 million men Sixty-two percent (1.6) million of these grandparents are in the labor force and 39% of the grandparents have been caring for their grandchildren for more than five years, creating lengthy work-family conflicts for them

Unpredictability

Having schedules assigned with little or no advance notice or being required to work overtime or extra hours with little or no notice.

Rigidity

Lack of control over the scheduling of work hours, including overtime or extra work hours; lack of input into starting and quitting times; and lack of control over break times.

Research Findings- Social Policies

Larger social arrangements limit how members of a household divide labor and responsibility -Men advantages because they earn more money Social policies regarding following issues inhibit families as they try to arrange their lives as best suits their members -Parental leave -Income disparities -Mandatory overtime -Availability of quality child care Misperception: Relationships within families are independent of organizations and society. Reality: Society and organizations significantly affect relationships within families.

Gendered organizational culture

Managers reward those who set aside personal and family commitments and are dedicated to their jobs an organizational culture that rewards employees who are dedicated to their jobs and set aside personal and family commitments for job responsibilities.

Points about Work and Family

Most relevant to women and girls, as the non dominant gender group Work and family issues affect men as partners, children, relatives of some and directly if they are treated unfairly because of family issues Women are affected most from work and family because they commonly raise the children and take care of the home

Sandwich generation

People who find themselves caring for both their children and their aging parents people rearing children while also caring for or assisting with care of their elderly parents.

Flextime

Permission to vary start and stop times on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis -Requires employees to work for a minimum number of hours for a specified period Reduces tardiness, absenteeism, intentions to quit, and turnover Highly beneficial for female employees

Research Findings

Promotion rates -Higher for married men and lower for married women -Higher for men with children in preschool -Highest for never-married, childless women Perceived competency rates -Low for mothers -High for business women and childless women Mothers rated as low in competence; business women and childless women rated as highly competent Men who become fathers increase the time spent at work; women decrease their time spent at work From the employers' perspective, having a family is often perceived as a positive for men and a negative for women. They often view women as less committed to work because of commitments to family, and men as more committed to work because of family obligations.

Family Policies in Other Developed Nations

View parenting as a public good Provide parental leaves and other benefits Provide subsidized or funded child care for young children Employment of mothers - 89% in Finland and 57% in the U.S.

Recommendations for Organizations

Recognize the role played by policies and supportive manager behaviors Ensure flexibility in scheduling, work location, part-time work, and choices about overtime and travel Eliminate inconsistent scheduling and overtime practices that prevent employees from being able to obtain child and elder care Provide job guarantees for those taking leaves that exceed 12 weeks Implement procedures to provide income for employees who require family leaves Assist employees who opt for part-time or leaves to remain connected to the organization and return to full-time work Allow employees to decide which people constitute their family, and provide time off, leaves, and other benefits accordingly Recognize that there is and should be life outside of work for employees

Issues Relevant to Low Wage Workers

Rigidity: Lack of control over scheduling of work hours, input for starting and quitting times, and control over break times Unpredictability: Assigning schedules or requiring overtime work with little or no advance notice Instability: Fluctuations in work hours, being subject to reductions in work hours when work is slow, and involuntary part-time work

Caring for the Elderly

Sandwich generation: People who find themselves caring for both their children and their aging parents Women who work full-time are four times as likely as men who work full-time to be primary care givers for elderly relatives

Chapter 10 key facts

Since 1975, labor force participation of U.S. women with children under age 18 has increased from 47% to 71%. Nearly 76% of single women with children participate in the labor force.Footnote On average, working mothers experience a 5% wage penalty per child. Women spend seventeen years caring for children and eighteen years caring for aging parents, primarily during their prime working years. About half of employees are not covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act. Availability and use of work-family support policies is related to employees' job satisfaction, commitment, and intent to stay with their organizations. Over 2.7 million grandparents, the majority of whom are employed, have primary responsibility for their grandchildren under age 18. Although they have fewer support mechanisms than parents, employed grandparents caring for their grandchildren experience work and family concerns that may be more difficult than those experienced by parents.

Women in workforce

Since 1975, the labor force participation of all women with children under age 18 has increased from 47% to 71%. Women with children under age 3 are also likely to be employed outside the home; about 61% of such women work. Women who are single parents are even more likely to be in the workforce: 76% of such women with children under age 18 and 65% with children under 3 work outside the home. Single mothers also work more hours than married mothers do.

Misconceptions

That women don't want to work but majority are working full time

Legislation Relevant to Work and Family Issues

The Equal Pay Act and Title VII -Counteract discrimination in employment-related matters, including compensation Pregnancy Discrimination Act, 1978 -Prohibits discrimination based on pregnancy and related medical conditions -Requires pregnancy be treated similarly to other temporary medical conditions The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 -Allows employees to take up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave: -When ill or on the birth, adoption, or placement of a foster child -To care for a sick child, parent, or spouse Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 -Restored the pre-Ledbetter position that with every discriminatory paycheck, a new clock starts

Workforce Participation

Women's labor force participation has increased from 47% to 71% since 1975 Approximately 76% of single women with children under 18 years of age participate in the workforce Education affects a woman's propensity to work when parenting -83% of highly educated women participate compared to 50% of high school drop outs The lowest participation rate is for married Latinas with children under three, yet still nearly 50% participate. The highest rate is for unmarried Asian women with children aged 6 to 17, none younger Misperception: The majority of women with small children leave the workforce to be "stay-at-home" moms. Reality: Most women, with or without children of any age, married or unmarried, work outside the home.