Women's Employment and Family Relations: A Review

Research concerning effects of womens employment on families is reviewed for the past decade. Researchers have changed an earlier assumption of negative effects on marriages and children but they still tend to focus solely on differences by employment status rather than on consequences of various aspects of womens employment experience. They also tend to neglect minority working-class and single-parent families. This review begins with a discussion of effects of womens employment on the formation and dissolution of marital unions on marital quality and on spouse health and well-being. Research on the division of housework and its relation to power and equity is treated next; then several issues relating to the interaction of husbands and wives jobs are reviewed. Effects on fertility and outcomes for children are considered followed by a brief section on relations with extended family members. The review concludes with suggestions regarding future trends and research directions. (authors)