Women's Two Roles

Phyllis Moen describes the meshing of work and family roles not only as the private dilemma of individual women and their families but also as a public dilemma for the nation. This is an issue linked to deep apprehensions about families' and children's well-being, to demands for gender equality, to the outcry of some for a return to the traditional wife-as-homemaker role, and to growing concerns about labor market needs, productivity, and economic competitiveness.

Moen addresses the following central question: What are the major implications--for society, families, husbands, children, and women themselves--of the substantial and progressive movement of American women into the labor force? The dominant focus is on employed mothers of young children (those under the age of six) since it is these women who have experienced the greatest change and who encounter the greatest difficulty in reconciling employment demands and family responsibilities. An overriding theme is the unevenness of social change: American mothers of young children may be moving into the labor force in unprecendented numbers, but husbands, employers, and public policies are slow to accommodate this emerging reality. The issues raised are of concern to a broad spectrum of the educated public, but the book should be no less valuable to social scientists seeking to extend their knowledge of issues in this area of growing concern and can be used in courses relating to the sociology of the family, social problems, gender roles, and social policy.

PHYLLIS MOEN is Director of Cornell Life Course Institute and Professor of Human Development and Family Studies and of Sociology at Cornell University. Among her earlier publications are Working Parents: Transformations in Gender Roles and Public Policies in Sweden (1989) and numerous articles in scholarly journals.