Working Couples Caring for Children and Aging Parents

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.

Leslie B. Hammer, Margaret B. Neal

Contents: Series Foreword. K. Christensen, Foreword. Preface. Part I: Introduction. The "Sandwiched Generation": Introduction. Employer and Governmental Initiatives Affecting Work and Family Life in the United States. A Brief Overview of Supports Provided to Working Caregivers in Countries Other Than the United States. Theoretical Perspectives on the Work-Family Interface and Conceptual Framework for the Book. Part II: Findings From a National Study. Who Are Working, "Sandwiched-Generation" Couples? How Couples Are Doing: The Effects of Being "Sandwiched" on Work-Family Fit, Well-Being, and Work. Development of a Model of Work-Family Coping Strategies and Advice From Couples. Work-Family Coping Strategies: What Are the Effects on Work-Family Fit, Well-Being, and Work. Workplace Supports: Effects on Work-Family Fit, Well-Being, and Work. Changes in Work and Family Roles and Outcomes Over Time. Part III: Effecting Change: Where Do We Go From Here? Summary of Major Findings and Recommendations for Next Steps. Appendices: Study Methods and Measures. Survey Instruments (Waves 1 and 2). Tables.