Doctoral Dissertation Research: Work-Family Policies and Working Mothers: A Cross-National Comparative Study

博士论文研究：工作家庭政策和职业母亲：跨国比较研究

• 批准号: 1434863
• 负责人: Jennifer Glass
• 金额: $ 1.18万
• 依托单位: University of Texas at Austin
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-08-01 至 2015-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1434863&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Work; Family

SES-1434863Jennifer GlassCaitlyn CollinsThe University of Texas at AustinIn all industrialized countries, women have entered the paid labor force in unprecedented numbers over the past half-century while still maintaining primary responsibility for childrearing. Today, the majority of mothers with children are in the paid labor force. This study investigates how working mothers in the western world balance their work and family obligations. The investigators will conduct 100 in-depth interviews with working mothers from four countries: Germany, Sweden, Italy, and the United States¬. They will examine how different ideals of motherhood and gender equality are embedded in the work-family policy regimes of these four countries. Given their different policy regimes, the research examines how working mothers negotiate the constraints and opportunities facing them daily as they balance motherhood and employment. Interview topics include: workplace interactions with supervisors and colleagues, employment history and future plans, the transition to parenthood, use and perceptions of various work-family policies, conflict between work and home responsibilities, dividing family care with a partner, opinions about parenting, interpretations and understandings of their careers and families, personal successes and regrets, and general views on the status of working mothers in their respective countries. This research is potentially the first comparative study to incorporate mothers' voices into the scholarly debates about work-family policy around the world. Understanding women's perspectives about what works (and what hinders) their achievement of work-family balance should be central to any scholarly endeavor to craft, advocate for, and implement work-family policy as a force for social change. Findings from this project will contribute to policy debates about improving mothers' work and family lives in 21st century Western industrialized countries. With many countries spending a sizeable portion of their GDP on work-family policies, this study will provide crucial insight into the most effective targets for these expenditures, benefitting both mothers and governments. This project will provide vital knowledge for policy debates about how to better support mothers in their careers and families given that the vast majority of mothers participate in the globalized economy while raising children today.

在过去的半个世纪里，在所有工业化国家，女性以前所未有的数量进入了有偿劳动力市场，同时仍然承担着抚养孩子的主要责任。今天，大多数有孩子的母亲都是有报酬的劳动力。这项研究调查了西方世界的职业母亲如何平衡她们的工作和家庭责任。调查人员将对来自四个国家的100名职业母亲进行深入采访：德国、瑞典、意大利和美国。他们将研究这四个国家的工作-家庭政策制度中如何体现不同的母性和性别平等理想。鉴于其不同的政策制度，研究探讨了职业母亲如何谈判的限制和机会，每天面临的，因为他们平衡母亲和就业。面试主题包括：工作场所与主管和同事的互动、就业历史和未来计划、向父母身份的过渡、各种工作-家庭政策的使用和看法、工作和家庭责任之间的冲突、与伴侣分担家庭照顾、关于养育子女的意见、对其职业和家庭的解释和理解、个人成功和遗憾，以及对职业母亲在各自国家的状况的一般看法。 这项研究可能是第一个将母亲的声音纳入世界各地关于工作家庭政策的学术辩论的比较研究。了解妇女对什么工作（和什么阻碍）他们实现工作与家庭平衡的观点应该是任何学术奋进的核心，倡导和实施工作与家庭政策作为社会变革的力量。该项目的研究结果将有助于关于改善世纪西方工业化国家母亲工作和家庭生活的政策辩论。由于许多国家将相当大一部分GDP用于工作-家庭政策，这项研究将为这些支出的最有效目标提供重要见解，使母亲和政府受益。鉴于当今绝大多数母亲在抚养子女的同时参与全球化经济，该项目将为关于如何在职业和家庭方面更好地支持母亲的政策辩论提供重要知识。