Balancing Work and Family in a Changing Society

Isabella Crespi is Associate Professor in Cultural sociology at the University of Macerata, Italy. Elisabetta Ruspini is Senior Associate Professor in Sociology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy.

“Twelve essays explore the changing ideals and experiences for men around fatherhood and employment. The scope is vast, covering the experience of fatherhood in countries around the globe. … Some of the chapters are reviews and assessments of existing research, while others present new analyses and theories. … Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.” (S. K. Gallagher, Choice, Vol. 54 (6), February, 2017)

• PART I: FATHERHOOD AND MEN'S WORK-LIFE BALANCE. A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ACROSS CONTINENTS1. Changing Fatherhood and Fathering across Cultures towards Convergence in Work-Family Balance: Divergent Progress or Stalemate?; Michael Rush and Rudy Seward2. 'The Choice was Made for Us': A Genealogical and Relational Approach to the Stay-at-Home Father Concept in North America; Andrea Doucet3. Cultural Values, Family Policies and Fathering Practices in Central-eastern Europe; Piotr TeisseyrePART II: CHANGING FATHERS: WORK, CHILDREN AND RECONCILIATION STRATEGIES4. Changing Family Models: Emerging New Opportunities for Fathers in Catalonia (Spain)?; Lluis Flaquer, Almudena Moreno Minguez and Tomas Cano5. What makes Fathers Involved? An Exploration of the Longitudinal Influence of Fathers' and Mothers' Employment on Father's Involvement in Looking After their Pre-School Children in the UK; Colette Fagan and Helen Norman6. Reconciling Work and Family among Japanese Fathers with Preschool-aged Children; Tomoko Matsuda, Saori Kamano, Mieko Takahashi, Setsuko Onode, Kyoko Yoshizumi7. Work-life Balance and Fathers in Austria? Empirical Evidence at the Company Level; Nadja Bergmann and Helene Schiffbänker8. Between Change and Continuity. Fathers and Work-Life Balance in Italy; Maria Letizia Bosoni, Isabella Crespi and Elisabetta RuspiniPART III: FATHERS' WORK-FAMILY LIFE BALANCE: CONFLICTS AND CHALLENGES9. Involved Fatherhood: Source of New Gender Conflicts?; Diana Lengersdorf and Michael Meuser10. From 'Absent-from-Home Father' to 'Committed Father': Changes in the Model of Fatherhood in Poland and Role of Mothers-'Gatekeepers'; Ma?gorzata Sikorska11. What Work-Family Conflicts do Fathers Experience in Sweden and the US?; Anna-Lena Almqvist and Gayle Kaufman12. 'At the End, the Father Works More and the Mother Stays Home' – Swedish and Polish Fathers and (Un)Achieved Work-Life Balance; Katarzyna Suwada