Rosanna Herta and Nancy L. Marshall (Eds.), Working Families: The Transformation of the American Home.

Rosanna Herta and Nancy L. Marshall (Eds.), Working Families: The Transformation of the American Home. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2001. $ 50.00 hardcover, 19.95 papercover.

During the past century, unprecedented social and economic shifts have irrevocably altered social institutions. Specifically, demographic transitions, industrialization and economic activities have contributed to a fundamental change in the composition of the workforce. The dramatic increase in the numbers of employed women into the labor market, combined with the rise of dual earner families, has led researchers to closely examine the changing roles of work, family, and community. Extant research in this area has focused on the individual decisions made in the context of work, workplace equality issues and the challenges faced by women in maintaining work and family. Recent census data reveals that the complex relationship between work and family is still evolving, with the latest figures demonstrating that the proportion of working mothers has significantly declined for the first time since 1976.

Hertz and Marshall have compiled this collection of chapters from the perspective that work and family are not distinct and autonomous domains, nor should research attempt to separate them. The editors argue that although the workforce composition has changed, the workplace has not changed. The first section of the book outlines the fundamental changes that have occurred within the family over the last 40 years, including the rise in dual earner families emphasizing racial group differences and gendered career patterns from a life course perspective. In a poignant qualitative analysis, Rubin reveals the challenges and rewards of raising children later in life, in conjunction with caring for aging parents and maintaining a career. Other chapters document the changing role of men in family household tasks. Section two of this book focuses on changes that have occurred in the world of work, including Gross's analysis of family and globalization. An analysis of small businesses and family-based policies is included as is Kropf's assessment of the rise in part-time and contingent labor.

The third section of this book follows the recent trend in family-work literature by examining decisions from the vantage point of dual earner couples, not simply individual female workers. Gerson and Jacobs (Chapter 10) provide compelling findings about the perceived costs of utilizing family friendly policies in the workplace. Other chapters in this section examine work-family experiences in a variety of employment settings. The final section of the book provides insight into children's experiences and understanding of their parent's work lives. Rarely has research into work and the family included the voices of children. This was one of the most engaging sections of the book.

The editors have complied an outstanding array of renowned researchers, diverse theoretical perspectives and methodologies in this volume. A premise of this book is that paid work and family are dynamic and interrelated, and this book sheds light on the complexities of this relationship. Both students and experienced family researchers will find fresh and provocative ideas in this work. It will also provide an excellent basis for any course on family and work. A summary chapter would have been useful to point the reader toward the future issues in this area of research and policy. Nonetheless, this minor point does not detract from the book's substantial contribution.