An alternative to the work-nonwork balance metaphor is the concept of time as container of meaning. A model relates meanings derived from work and nonwork time to the experience of work-nonwork conflict. This conflict is shaped by the extent to which work and nonwork time affirms or conflicts with identity. (Contains 75 references.) (Author/SK)

Home-based self-employed workers (n=46, including 35 women) viewed home work as a valuable nontraditional option, especially mothers who combined work and child care. Family-work conflicts and economic issues sometimes replicated negative, exploitative conditions of traditional workplaces. Gender, family status, resources, race/ethnicity, and…

A 3-year study of 1,000 adolescents and their parents found that student employment has significant effects on family relationships. It fosters separation and individuation, of which parents approve, and diminished family time did not affect the quality of relationships. Boys' work had more positive effects than did girls' work. (SK)

A case study of a school district illustrates how districts solve a substitute teacher shortage by reducing reliance on substitutes and extending full-time teachers' hours. The process allots overwork and work-family conflict to some workers and underemployment and multiple job holding to others. (Contains 38 references.) (SK)

Data from 464 women and 460 men on measures of gender ideology and gender composition of occupations indicated that women and men sometimes make different job-family trade-offs. Those in male-dominated occupations made more accommodations for jobs than family. Gender attitudes had little effect on trade-offs. Family demands often operate similarly…

Analysis of characteristics of self-employed women and men suggested that family characteristics (such as children and marital status) are significant predictors of women's self-employment; human capital characteristics predict men's self-employment. Advanced age and education are among the determinants for both men and women. (SK)

Investigation of differences between women who change jobs after childbirth and those who stay with employers reveals that women are motivated to change by both financial and family reasons. A trade of compensation for greater family accommodation may be more necessary for those with lower levels of skill, education, and experience. (SK)

Data from employers of 324 pregnant women show that firm size and unionization are powerful determinants of formal benefits. However, informal family concessions, dependent on supervisor cooperation, are less likely to occur. Self-employment was not especially conducive to schedule flexibility, leave, or child care access. (SK)

Pregnant women (n=227) interviewed before and six and 12 months after childbirth reported declines in job satisfaction following birth. The following factors positively or negatively affected satisfaction: length of leave, ability to work at home, 30 to 35-hour work week, evening/rotating shifts, supervisor support, and child-care environment. (SK)

A 1999 British survey of 1,960 females and 1,691 males incorporated preference theory. Results showed that women's lifestyle preferences are a major determinant of fertility, employment patterns, and job choice. However, lifestyle preferences no longer determine occupational choice. (Contains 71 references.) (Author/JOW)

Responses of university administrative support workers (n=292) showed that job and workplace characteristics are important predictors of class identity for women. Although greater use of video display terminals is linked with working-class identity, workers form a more middle-class identity the longer an office has been automated. (SK)

Data from the 1970 and 1997 Current Population Survey demonstrate that, more than changes in working hours, the shift from male-breadwinner to dual-earner and single-parent households has increased concern for family-work balance. Research should focus on combined work schedules of family members rather than changes in individual work patterns.…

Effects of gender on income were examined for 321 physicians married to physicians. Family context explains more of the income gap. Despite similar human capital investments and labor market position, women married to doctors tend to focus on family and men married to doctors tend to focus on career. (Contains 83 references.) (SK)

Analysis of matched samples of Swiss (n=443) and U.S. (n=740) women found important differences. Labor force participation of the Swiss was more strongly influenced by family configuration. Associations between educational credentials and occupational sex typing was more persistent in Switzerland. Results show how cultural, institutional, and…

From a sample of 1,000 New York attorneys, data from 553 men and 129 women suggest that professional autonomy depends on social capital arrangements that assume overtime, open-ended work demands, and release from private obligations. Access to time is qualitatively different for men and women, especially married women with children. (SK)