Using data from a random sample of 580 midwestern women, the authors explore the association between lifetime infertility and life satisfaction. Past research shows lower life satisfaction among those seeking help for infertility. The authors find no direct effects of lifetime infertility, regardless of perception of a problem, on life…

This paper reviews research studies dealing with the effects on families of changes in the labor force patterns of working mothers during the period from 1970 to l980. Research information is presented in a column format: the first column provides the study findings, the second points out the sources of the findings, and the third suggests…

Suggests that consumptive certainty of the 1950s and 1960s gave way to economic uncertainty in the 1970s and beyond. Economic uncertainty provided impetus, legitimacy, and justification for young families to adopt new work-family arrangements. Hence, economic uncertainty is conceptualized as a real circumstance that substantiates families'…

This paper explores (on the basis of available data) the role of various family characteristics in fostering abilities in preschool children and the subsequent effect of ability on earnings. The paper is part of an effort to improve the understanding of the process of human capital development as a basic determinant of earnings. Three specific…

Background: The differential effectiveness of parent training has led researchers to examine a variety of child, parent, and familial variables that may predict treatment response. Studies have identified a diverse set of child, parent psychological/behavioral and demographic variables that are associated with treatment outcome and dropout.…

Literature on the American family that is pertinent to pediatrics is reviewed. Family characteristics considered include fertility, family structure, divorce, maternal employment and child care arrangements, family wealth and poverty, governmental assistance, and adolescent sexuality. Other topics of discussion include problematic effects of…

Marriage offers important social and economic benefits. Well-designed public policies could play a constructive role in helping couples develop the skills needed to develop healthy, sustainable relationships with each other and their children. It does not follow, however, that marriage promotion should be a significant component of anti-poverty…

When Canadian parents look back on their own lives and the lives of their parents, they see changes across a generation that have profoundly affected their parenting experience, compared to when they themselves were young children. Supports for today's parents must take into consideration these changes that affect the care and nurturing of…

A representative survey of over 30,000 people aged 16-64 years across the 15 member states of the European Union and Norway sought Europeans' preferences for increasing or reducing the number of hours worked per week. Key finding included the following: (1) 51% preferred to work fewer hours in exchange for lower earnings while 12% preferred to…