The Future of Fathers’ Work-Family Interface: Ethnicity, Social Class, and Job Sector

• In Event: 50220 - Section on Organizations, Occupations, and Work Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 17: Careers, Work, and Family

Abstract

Sociologists have situated work-family conflict as a systemic aspect of women’s life courses as they navigate family, motherhood, and careers. However, we know less about fathers’ work-family interface. This project will fill this gap by exploring fathers’ work-family lives with particular attention on the intersections of ethnicity, social class, and work sector as pivotal factors that may influence the intensity of and response to work-family demands.

In particular, I will address the following questions: how is the work-family interface organized and experienced by fathers? And how do men respond to the demands of workplace and family?

I will adopt a qualitative approach in this exploratory study, interviewing employed fathers in a range of work sectors and of diverse demographic backgrounds. I interviewed 38 men, from middle-class and working-class backgrounds, and from both Latino and white ethnic backgrounds.

This analysis illustrates three key themes among the Latino and white fathers in middle class and working class work contexts: 1) how they experienced work as a greedy institution, 2) the broad set of work-family balance solutions they adopted, assembling a range of organizational and personal strategies, and 3) the common, yet invisible gaze that influences their work and family decisions.

Author

• Michael Eddie Ramirez, Wake Forest University