Work & Family Balance

Since the 1970s, women’s participation in the United States workforce has increased significantly.

As a result, two-parent families have shifted from one working parent and one at-home parent to two working parents. In 1996, major reforms to the welfare system meant that more low-income, single mothers joined the workforce.

Upjohn research has examined how women’s employment has changed over time, how welfare reform affected work-family balance, and how nonstandard work hours affect mothers’ caregiving time with children.