We as a nation are at a pivotal moment in which the national conversation around work and family life has taken on renewed urgency and vigor.
Over the past decades, real advances have been made in terms of fairness and opportunity for women, yet equally real challenges remain as men and women struggle to form families and advance careers in a changing economy.
CHANGING FAMILIES
Families are being transformed by factors including altered marriage patterns, single parenthood, same-sex marriage, delayed childbearing, and an influx of women into the American workforce. Though it is changing, the American workplace has not — yet — fully transformed to accommodate the reality of two-earner households in which men and women both have responsibilities at home as well as needs and ambitions at work.
Meanwhile, our growing socioeconomic divide means many families are struggling to provide their children with the basic economic and emotional resources they need to grow and thrive. In some families, men are more involved than ever; in others, fathers, often as a result of low employment, are marginalized and uninvolved. Child care remains a struggle at all socioeconomic levels.
WHAT WE'RE DOING
The organization's mission is animated by the American ideal that each generation will live better than the last. With high-profile books and articles in major publications; in-depth policy papers; riveting events; and widespread alliances, the work-family program is helping reframe the conversation to reflect 21st century realities and challenges.
We aim to create a community engaged in issues that include work-family balance, improved access to child care, our changing definition of family, education gender imbalance, discrimination in the workplace, opportunities for female leadership, and the global context. The program seeks to create a public environment that's hospitable to change, through powerful writing and informed debate about careers and families, their strengths and their needs.