Each month, we select up to ten publications from those that have recently been entered into the Literature Database.

A year ago, there were approximately 6,534 citations in the Literature Database. As of August 2006, we now have over 7,720 citations.

Click here for a direct link to the Sloan Literature Update articles in the Literature Database.

Fletcher, C. (2005). Outre-manche/Across the Channel: Ongoing training and gender in France and Britain. Gender, Work, and Organization, 12(6), 572-590.
This study of the insurance industry in France and Great Britain sought to evaluate women’s availability for ongoing training at work and gender equity within the workplace. The author sent questionnaires to the twenty biggest insurance companies in each country and then conducted interviews with ten British training managers and eight French training officers. Findings indicate that company cultures continue to be weighted in favor of men and that women are less available for training due to family responsibilities. The significance of state support for working mothers and the impact of the states’ infrastructures on equality of access to training are discussed.

Gerhard, U. (2006). Working mothers in Europe: A comparison on policies and practices. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing .
Table of Contents: Contents: 1. Introduction: Social Practices and Social Policies -- 2. Mothers between Individualisation and Institution: Cultural Images of Welfare Policy -- 3. Caring for Children: The Logics of Public Action -- 4. Strategies, Everyday Practices and Social Change -- 5. Kinship and Informal Support: Care Resources for the First Generation of Working Mothers in Norway, Italy and Spain -- 6. Care Packages: The Organisation of Work and Care by Working Mothers -- 7. Women’s Participation in European Labour Market.

Lee, C. & Gramotnev, H. (2006). Motherhood plans among young Australian women: Who wants children these days? Journal of Health Psychology, 11(1), 5-20.
The authors use the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health to analyze the stated motherhood intentions of 7,447 childless Australian women ages 22-27. Findings indicate that the majority of respondents (91.5 percent of one study, 90.7 percent of the second) intend to have children, with a strong preference for a small family size of 1-2 children. Women who express a lack of desire for children tended to lack an interest in traditional relationships with men, while those who wanted three or more children suggested a preference for a more “traditional” lifestyle. Recommendations for public policies that support efforts to combine motherhood and work are made.

Lu, L., Gilmour, R., Kao, S., & Huang, M. (2006). A cross-cultural study of work/family demands, work/family conflict and wellbeing: The Taiwanese vs British. Career Development International, 11(1), 9-27.
This paper compares a collectivist society (Taiwan) and an individualist society (the United Kingdom) in terms of the relationships between work/family demands, work-to-family conflict (WFC), family-to-work conflict (FWC) and well-being outcomes. Authors submitted a four-part questionnaire to 220 Taiwanese workers and 103 British workers. Findings reveal that the Taiwanese report greater work demands and family demands than the British as well as greater work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict. There was a larger positive relation between both work demands and WFC and family demands and FWC for the British sample than the Taiwanese sample.

Takyi, B.K. & Broughton, C.L. (2006). Marital stability in sub-Saharan Africa: Do women’s autonomy and socioeconomic situation matter? Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 27(1), 113-132.
This report seeks to test the hypothesis that improvements in women’s socioeconomic conditions have a positive effect on familial factors such as marital instability using cross-cultural research. Using data from the 1993 and 1998 waves of the Ghana Demographic and Health Surveys, the authors studied a sample of 3,593 ever-married women and compared their marital statuses with their types of work, their educational backgrounds, their urban residence status and their lineage affiliations. Findings indicate that, to some extent, higher levels of autonomy were associated with higher divorce rates. However, the relationship between employment and marital stability was found to be weak or absent when considered in tandem with other variables.

Wharton, A.S. & Blair-Loy, M. (2006). Long work hours and family life: A cross-national study of employees’ concerns. Journal of Family Issues, 27(3), 415-436.
The authors studied elite employees from three different countries and their concerns about the effects of long work hours on those in their personal lives. Professionals and managers from the United States, Hong Kong and England took a survey on attitudes and behaviors around balancing work and other responsibilities. Findings indicate that women are more likely than men to place significance on the toll that work demands take on family life. When controlling for all other factors, Hong Kong-based employees were more likely to express concern about long work hours than other respondents. The authors suggest this is because of the high value placed on extended families and familial ties in Chinese societies.

Durr, M. (Ed.). (2006). Race, work and family in the lives of African Americans. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Table of Contents: Part One: Race and Colorism -- 1. Is Discrimination Dead? / C. Herring -- 2. What is Racism?: The Racialized Social System Framework / E. Bonilla-Silva -- 3. The Blacker the Berry: Gender: Skin Tone, Self-esteem and Self-Efficacy / M.D. Thompson & V. Keith -- Part Two: Failing Safety Nets and Fragile Families -- 4. The Family-Work Interface In African American Families -- M. Durr & S.A. Hill -- 5. (Re)Envisioning Cohabitation: A Commentary on Race, History, and Culture / A.G. Hunter -- 6. No More Kin Care?: Changes in Black Mothers' Reliance on Relatives for Child Care, 1977-94 / K.W. Brewster & I. Padavic -- 7. Supporting Poor Single Mothers: Gender and Race in the U.S. Welfare State / S. Moller -- Part Three: Gendered Racism and Labor Market Experience -- 8. Racial Differences in Labor Market Outcomes among Men / H.J. Holzer -- 9. Reversal of Fortune: Explaining the Decline in Black Women's Earnings / Y.D. Newsome and F. Nii-Amoo DoDoo -- 10. Stereotypes and Realities: Images of Black Women in the Labor Market -- I. Brown and I. Kennelly -- Part Four: New Values, New Directions -- 11. Identifying the Unique Needs of The Urban Entrepreneurs: African Americans Skill set Development / M. Durr, T.S. Lyons, & G. Lichtenstein -- 12. Trends in self-Employment Among White and Black Men During the Twentieth Century / R.W. Fairlie and B.D. Meyer.

Golder, T,D, (2006). Avoiding depletion in virtual work: Telework and the intervening impact of work exhaustion on commitment and turnover intentions. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 69, 176-187.

This article explores the impact of virtual work on employees’ organizational commitment and turnover intentions. Positing that virtual work is positively related to organizational commitment and negatively related to turnover intentions, and that work exhaustion mediates the relationship between virtual work and intentions to leave one’s job, the author conducted a web survey of 393 teleworkes from a large corporation. Findings were consistent with the author’s hypotheses, suggesting that telework’s value extends beyond individual employees’ needs, contributing to overall employer retention goals.

Tebaldi, E. & Elmslie, B. (2006). Sexual orientation and labour supply. Applied Economics, 38(5), 549-563.

This study is the first to examine the effects of sexual orientation on labor supply. Using data from the March 2001 Current Population Survey of 50,000 by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labour Statistics, the authors examined sexual orientation in tandem with employee status and labor force participation. Evidence supports the argument that sexual orientation affects labor supply. Lesbian women are more likely to participate in the labor market and to work full time than married women or women who cohabitate with men, while gay men are more likely to work part-time and supply fewer hours of work per week than men who are married or cohabiting with women.