Diversity in Child Care Assistance Needs: Employee Problems, Preferences, and Work‐related Outcomes

This research examines employee background variables moderating problems with child care arrangements and variance in work‐related attitudes and behaviors. Gender, household employment configuration, dependents' care profile, managerial status, and use of familial care arrangements help explain variance in child care problems, attitudes toward managing work and child care responsibilities, and the absence behavior of working parents in a public utility. The relationship between employee backgrounds and preferences for child care assistance is also examined. The study demonstrates that employees' child care needs are diverse, multi‐faceted, and changing. It is suggested that organizations consider developing several packages of child care assistance policies that can be responsive to changes in the mix of employees' assistance needs and their work forces' demographics over time.