Men, Work, and Family (SAGE Series on Men and Masculinity)

Book Overview

Tradition pegs men as providers and women as nurturers. But recent research shows it is a much more complex situation than that. Although many men fill traditional roles, a large number face the same demands that confront working women. In Men, Work, and Family such well-known researchers as Pleck, Bailyn, Fassinger, Tienda, and Mortimer provide new insight on the diversity and complexity of men′s work and their relationships with their families. Both dual-worker and single-parent families are addressed. The contributors also pay close attention to family characteristics such as race, ethnicity, class, and age. Among the topics explored are work and family orientations of contemporary adolescent boys and girls, college men′s attitudes toward family and work in the 90s, role allocation in Hispanic families, Japanese fathers, and changing gender roles in Sweden. The contributors also discuss the differing meanings of housework for single fathers and mothers and explore the economic and nurturant dimensions of men as fathers. A volume that examines--and often shatters--the stereotypes of men at home and at work, Men, Work, and Family is of particular importance for those who study gender roles, families, work and management, sociology, psychology, and the human services. "The book differs from similar compilations in several important ways. First, the text provides a discussion of men and masculinities within a multicultural perspective. . . . Second, the book offers a good balance of qualitative and quantitative studies." --Life Course "The impressive group of researchers in this volume evidence the increasing diversity of inquiry in the sociological study of men. . . . The volume adds maturity to the field through its diverse samples and methods. Fathers of different races, ethnic backgrounds, classes, cultures, and family structures are prominent in the book, highlighting both the commonalities of men′s experiences in the family and the important differences of which researchers should be aware. We applaud the authors′ efforts to emphasize the diversity of men′s attitudes and behavior in the family." --Journal of Marriage and the Family "Jane Hood assembles an engaging collection of chapters into a volume that challenges traditional images of masculinity and describes how the myopic view of men as only economic providers in families fails to capture the rich diversity of the way in which they perceive and negotiate the work and family interface. . . . Major strengths of the volume include its cross-national examination of men′s work and family experiences in Japan and Sweden, as well as its comparative perspective of U.S. men by socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity, household structure, and age. . . . The volume would be excellent as either a main or supplemental text in both advanced undergraduate and graduate seminars in work, family, and gender roles. . . . It] should stimulate provocative dialogue among both government and policymakers and business leaders who are interested in promoting a situation in which men and women share equally in the rewards and responsibilities of their work and family commitments." --Family Relations

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803938918
• ISBN13: 9780803938915
• Release Date: September 1993
• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc
• Length: 302 Pages
• Weight: 0.97 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 1.0" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

Men in the private sphere exposed

This anthology was a great contribution to men's studies and sociology. The various contributors help to tear down assumptions that men are so preoccupied with employment that they abandon their childcare and cleaning responsibilities. Many chapters were ethnically diverse (covering blacks and Latinos) as well as nationally diverse (including chapters on Japanese fathers and Swedish men). Class matters were also brought up throughout the book. The book never says the word "gay" once and seemed innocently (naively?) heterosexist, but I can forgive it this time. Further, many of the studies were conducted in the late 1980s and can't take into account all that the Clinton era did for families or improved since the Reagan-Bush years. I would recommend this book to sociology majors, feminists, and anyone concerned about the modern family.