This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hoobler, J. M. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

On-Site or Out-of-Sight?

Family-Friendly Child Care Provisions and the Status of Working Mothers

University of Illinois at Chicago, jhoobler{at}uic.edu

"Family-friendly" initiatives are gaining in popularity as employers attempt to ease the fit between work and family. A number of organizations offer on- or near-site child care facilities to employees with young children. The author uses social identity theory to make the argument that family-friendly policies blurring the lines between work roles and family/caregiver roles serve to reinforce gender biases that degrade women's status on the job. Because women are the primary users of on-site child care services, and family roles are devalued in managerial employment, such "family-friendly" programs force women to sacrifice the quest for workplace equality, opting instead for short-term solutions.

Key Words: gender • work—family • identity

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?