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 7,000 citations in the Literature Database. As of January 2007, we now have over 8,250 citations.

Direct link to the Sloan Literature Update articles in the Literature Database.

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Global Perspectives - Grundy, E. & Henretta, J.C. (2006). Between elderly parents and adult children: A new look at the intergenerational care provided by the ‘sandwich generation’. Ageing & Society, 26, 707-722.
This report discusses two national surveys (one British, one American) on the care provided by women aged 55-69 to their younger and older relatives. The authors investigated whether the care needs from children and elders compete and the presence of one type of care leads to less care for the other group. The second hypothesis is that sandwiched parents who engage in an “intergenerational exchange” in both directions receive positive benefits from the caretaking. Finding indicate that there is a positive association for women from both countries with caring for older and younger relatives. Women with higher incomes were more likely to help both generations, and women with three or more children were less likely to help older relatives.

Pierret, C.R. (2006). The ‘sandwich generation’: Women caring for parents and children. Monthly Labor Review, 129(9), 3-9.
This article uses the National Longitudinal Survey of Young Women to estimate the number of American women ages 45-56 that are part of the ‘sandwich generation,’ their demographic characteristics, and the amount of support they give to parents and children. More than one-fifth of the women surveyed gave either $200 or 100 hours of their time per year to both their parents and their children. Nine percent of the women report co-residence, $1,000 of financial support or 500 hours of assistance for both a parent or parents and a child or children. These ‘sandwich generation’ women (for the purpose of this paper) are more likely to be married, out of the workforce, and to have greater income than women who are not giving this level of support to both parents and children.

Riley, L.D. & Bowen, C.P. (2005). The sandwich generation: Challenges and coping strategies of multigenerational families. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 13(1), 52-58.
This paper is a literature review of published material on the complications faced by “sandwiched” caregivers, who are often at the most demanding stages of their careers when they are faced with the responsibility of simultaneously caring for both children and elderly relatives. The authors present two case studies of families in this type of caregiving situation, and offers suggestions for caretaking that can be done at a distance as well as counseling interventions for sandwiched adults.

Robinson, M.M., Barbee, A.P., Martin, M., Singer, T.L., & Yegidis, B. (2003). The organizational costs of caregiving: A call to action. Administration in Social Work, 27(1), 83-102.

This study investigates the effect of caretaking responsibilities on the organizational effectiveness of graduate schools of social work. The authors send surveys to 126 deans and directors of schools of social work; 69 returned the survey. The subjects perceived that caregiving difficulties negatively affected their organizations in the form of faculty and staff missing obligations, feeling overwhelmed, and affecting co-workers by seeking social support. The authors suggest that administrators take leadership roles in urging institutions to address intergenerational caretaking, create additional resources such as subsidized day care and flexible work policies, and expanding the role of EAPs and Human Resources to include health screenings, workshops, and support groups.

Stephens, M.A.P., Townsend, A.L., Martire, L.M., & Druley, J.A. (2001). Balancing parent care with other roles: Interrole conflict of adult daughter caretakers. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 56B(1), 24-34.
The authors collected data on 278 women from northeastern Ohio and two counties in Pennsylvania who were simultaneously acting as primary caregiver to an elderly parent, wife, mother of at least one cohabiting child under age 25, and employee. Sixty-two percent (n=171) of the respondents reported conflict that included their parent care role; this subsample tended to have fewer socioeconomic resources, have older children, and to be caring for parents with greater impairment. This means that a sizable number of women do not feel that caring for a parent interferes with their other roles.

Global Perspectives - Al-Lamky, A. (2007). Feminizing leadership in Arab societies: The perspectives of Omani female leaders. Women in Management Review, 22(1), 49-67.
In the traditionally patriarchal Arab Gulf State of Oman, several women have recently been appointed to important policy making positions. The author spoke with ten Omani women who hold senior government positions about their educational and professional histories, early socialization patterns, personal traits, levels of work-family conflict, and their ideas on the challenges facing professional Omai women. Findings indicate that these women came from backgrounds that emphasized their educations and equal treatment with male siblings. Common personal traits include high motivation and ambition. Challenges include the prevailing expectations towards Omani women within their society.

Cabrera, C., Hutchens, R. & Peters, H.E. (Eds.) (2006). From welfare to childcare: What happens to young children when mothers exchange welfare for work? Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Table of Contents: Part I: The Landscape of Child Care in the Post-Welfare Reform Era. -- Child-Care Arrangements and Help for Low-Income Families With Young Children: Evidence From the National Survey of America's Families / L. Giannarelli, F.L. Sonenstein, M.W. Stagner -- Welfare-to-Work Transitions for Parents of Infants: Employment and Child-Care Policy Implementation in Eight Communities / C. Ross, G. Kirby -- Infant and Toddler Care After Welfare Reform: A Cross-State Comparison / A.D. Witte, M. Queralt -- Part II: Government Policies and the Nature of Child Care -- Welfare and Child-Care Policy Effects on Very Young Children's Child-Care Experiences / L.A. Gennetian, D.A. Crosby, A.C. Huston -- Work, Welfare, and Child-Care Choices Among Low-Income Women: Does Policy Matter? / C.K.C. Ficano, H.E. Peters -- Nonstandard Work and Child-Care Choices: Implications for Welfare Reform / J. Kimmel, L.M. Powell -- Low-Income Families' Child Care Experiences: Meeting the Needs of Children and Families / R.L. Coley, C.P. Li-Grining, P.L. Chase-Landsdale -- Part III: Government Subsidies and the Nature of Child Care -- The Dynamics of Child-Care Subsidy Use: A Collaborative Study of Five States / M.K. Meyers, L.R. Peck, E.E. Davis, A. Collins, J.L. Kreader, A. Georges, R. Weber, D. Schexnayder, D. Schroeder, J.A. Olson -- Child-Care Subsidies and Low-Income Parents—Policies and Practices that Affect Access and Retention / G. Adams, K. Snyder, and Analysis Team -- Child-Care Subsidies and the Transition From Welfare to Work / S.K. Danziger, E.O. Ananat, K.G. Browning -- Part IV: Implications and Future Directions -- Child Care as Risk or Protection in the Context of Welfare Reform / D. Phillips -- Child-Care / M. Burchinal.

Graves, L.M., Ohlott, P.J., & Ruderman, M.N. (2007). Commitment to family roles: Effects on managers’ attitudes and performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(1), 44-56.

This study examines the simultaneous positive and negative effects of family role commitment on 346 managers’ life satisfaction, career satisfaction, and performance in tandem with family-to-work interference. The authors recruited managers from a leadership development program that met in 2001—respondents included 233 men and 113 women. Results indicated no evidence that family role commitment resulted in negative career outcomes through family-to-work interference, with some support for the idea that this role commitment brings positive effects on outcomes through family to work enhancement. Interference and enhancement led to increases and decreases in strain, respectively, and this strain has significant effects on managers’ performance.

Noonan, M.C., Estes, S.B., & Glass, J.L. (2007). Do workplace flexibility policies influence time spent in domestic labor? Journal of Family Issues, 28(2), 263-288

This article asks how dual-earner families use workplace flexibility policies in reference to their paid and unpaid work. The authors surveyed 321 women and their partners from a U.S. Midwestern longitudinal sample of pregnant and postpartum women to test their theory that individual policy use leads to more time spent at domestic labor with the individual’s partner’s policy use leading to less time at domestic labor. Results show that mothers with part-time work schedules spend more time at housework while their husbands spend less, mothers who work at home spend more time caring for children, and, surprisingly, women who work flexible schedules do less housework while their husbands do more.