Reviews three areas of research relevant to the impact of women's changing status on children's development: infant competence, maternal employment, and group care of very young children. Concludes that women's increasing social participation will not harm but rather benefit children, as long as comprehensive family support services are provided.…

Discusses ways in which working situations could be changed to increase the role of men in childrearing. Considers present American attitudes, examples from Norway and Sweden, and possible ways of restructuring working situations in the U.S. (SB)

More women have entered the job market than ever before. With the current socioeconomic changes and with more women attaining education, the number of working women is going to increase rapidly. Most of the working women are of childbearing age and have both preschool and school-age children. While women have to work, it is becoming rather…

These essays are the first of an annual series that brings to the public the distinctive views and approaches of the humanities to urgent issues of the day. David Rothman, in "Lessons from an Opium Eater," examines how the nineteenth-century confessions of a famous English opium addict, Thomas De Quincey, has relevance to the present, how it might…

This paper examines the ability and inclination of contemporary American family systems to allocate resources on a child-centered rather than an adult-centered basis. Specifically, the discussion considers whether the changing economic context of family life results in placing inappropriate demands for maturity upon children--albeit differently…

Articles collected in this book address issues arising from the fact that the American workforce is increasingly composed of parents. Included in the collection are short newspaper and magazine selections as well as longer magazine articles and book chapters. These materials provide primary sources documenting an historical movement of social…

Presents suggestions for counseling clients of all ages on the following topics: (1) Why are mothers joining the work force? (2) How are women reacting to changes in their traditional roles? (3) What effects do mothers' employment decisions have upon families, and specifically children? (4) What can counselors do? (Author)

This paper is designed to clarify the concept of the family-career connection, defined as the interrelationships of family and career roles. The connection is illustrated in a model that includes the components of aspects of the family, aspects of careers, family functions, trends, and career development interventions. The family-career connection…

A former childcare worker addresses the connection between social problems plaguing modern life and society's attitudes toward the role of women and mothering. She describes the detrimental effects on children who are placed in day care at an early age and urges that families abandon materialism and work toward improving the quality of their own…

Social policy influences black wives' employment policies, regardless of occupation. The factors that influence a wife's working come from various social or societal levels--the individual, the family, and the wider society or environment. Individual characteristics supporting the black women's strong attachment to the world of work are her…

This monograph documents the magnitude and likely prognosis of demographic changes in the 1970's and suggests the impact of these trends on the problems of early childhood education. The implications of this changing environment for designing a new Follow Through program are also examined. With respect to the changing demographic environment,…

This book describes the frontier of close relationships, where traditional gender roles are being reevaluated in light of what is both functional and optimal for persons in dual-career partnerships. Because social environments are crucial to understanding personal relationships and individual behavior, the three chapters in part 1 describe the…

This report, a continuation of "Families That Work: Children in a Changing World," presents six papers which examine the effects of working parents on the socialization and intellectual development of children. Data were obtained from approximately 75 sources which met the following criteria: information from two or more relevant domains…

Children's poverty rate in the United States, over 20%, exceeds that of all industrialized nations except Australia. This interdisciplinary book examines the impact of changing public policies on children. Section 1 gives a current and historical overview of children in poverty. Sections 2 through 5 address arenas of possible change from policy…

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…