The Baby Boomer generation is facing a time of heightened uncertainty. Blessed with unprecedented levels of education, health, and life expectancy, many hope to contribute to society after their retirement. Yet they must also navigate ambiguous career exits and retirement paths, as established scripts for schooling, parenting, and careers continue to unravel. In Encore Adulthood, Phyllis Moen presents the realities of the "encore" life stage - the years between traditional careers and childraising and old age. Drawing on large-scale data sets and interviews with Boomers, HR personnel, and policymakers, this book illuminates the challenges that Boomers encounter as they transition from traditional careers into retirement. Beyond data analysis, Moen discusses the personal impact for Boomers' wellbeing, happiness, and health when they are unable to engage in meaningful work during their encore years, as well as the potential economic loss that would occur when a large, qualified group of people prematurely exit the workforce. Moen concludes with proposals for a range of encore jobs that could galvanize Boomers to take on desirable and sought-after second acts, emphasizing meaningful work over high-paying jobs and flexibility over long hours. An important analysis of an understudied and new life stage, Encore Adulthood makes an important contribution to the existing scholarship on careers, work, and retirement.

Phyllis Moen describes the meshing of work and family roles not only as the private dilemma of individual women and their families but also as a public dilemma for the nation. This is an issue linked to deep apprehensions about families' and children's well-being, to demands for gender equality, to the outcry of some for a return to the traditional wife-as-homemaker role, and to growing concerns about labor market needs, productivity, and economic competitiveness.

Moen addresses the following central question: What are the major implications--for society, families, husbands, children, and women themselves--of the substantial and progressive movement of American women into the labor force? The dominant focus is on employed mothers of young children (those under the age of six) since it is these women who have experienced the greatest change and who encounter the greatest difficulty in reconciling employment demands and family responsibilities. An overriding theme is the unevenness of social change: American mothers of young children may be moving into the labor force in unprecendented numbers, but husbands, employers, and public policies are slow to accommodate this emerging reality. The issues raised are of concern to a broad spectrum of the educated public, but the book should be no less valuable to social scientists seeking to extend their knowledge of issues in this area of growing concern and can be used in courses relating to the sociology of the family, social problems, gender roles, and social policy.

The Career Mystique shows that most Americans-men and women-continue to embrace the myth that hard work, long hours, and continuous employment pay off, even though it is out of date and out of place in twenty-first-century America. Phyllis Moen and Patricia Roehling argue that the lock step arrangements around education, work, family, and retirement no longer fit the realities and risks of contemporary living, yet the roles, rules, and regulations spawned by the career mystique remain in place. This books shows that ambiguities and uncertainties about the future abound in boardrooms, in offices, and on factory floors, as Americans face the realities of corporate restructuring, chronic job insecurity, and double demands at work and at home. Moen and Roehling show the career mystique for what it is: a false myth standing in the way of creating new, alternative workplaces and career flexibilities. Based on research funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the National Institute on Aging.

The Career Mystique shows that most Americans-men and women-continue to embrace the myth that hard work, long hours, and continuous employment pay off, even though it is out of date and out of place in twenty-first-century America. Phyllis Moen and Patricia Roehling argue that the lock step arrangements around education, work, family, and retirement no longer fit the realities and risks of contemporary living, yet the roles, rules, and regulations spawned by the career mystique remain in place. This books shows that ambiguities and uncertainties about the future abound in boardrooms, in offices, and on factory floors, as Americans face the realities of corporate restructuring, chronic job insecurity, and double demands at work and at home. Moen and Roehling show the career mystique for what it is: a false myth standing in the way of creating new, alternative workplaces and career flexibilities. Based on research funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the National Institute on Aging.

Why too much work and too little time is hurting workers and companies-and how a proven workplace redesign can benefit employees and the bottom line Today's ways of working are not working-even for professionals in "good" jobs. Responding to global competition and pressure from financial markets, companies are asking employees to do more with less, even as new technologies normalize 24/7 job expectations. In Overload, Erin Kelly and Phyllis Moen document how this new intensification of work creates chronic stress, leading to burnout, attrition, and underperformance. "Flexible" work policies and corporate lip service about "work-life balance" don't come close to fixing the problem. But this unhealthy and unsustainable situation can be changed-and Overload shows how. Drawing on five years of research, including hundreds of interviews with employees and managers, Kelly and Moen tell the story of a major experiment that they helped design and implement at a Fortune 500 firm. The company adopted creative and practical work redesigns that gave workers more control over how and where they worked and encouraged managers to evaluate performance in new ways. The result? Employees' health, well-being, and ability to manage their personal and work lives improved, while the company benefited from higher job satisfaction and lower turnover. And, as Kelly and Moen show, such changes can-and should-be made on a wide scale. Complete with advice about ways that employees, managers, and corporate leaders can begin to question and fix one of today's most serious workplace problems, Overload is an inspiring account about how rethinking and redesigning work could transform our lives and companies.

Why too much work and too little time is hurting workers and companies-and how a proven workplace redesign can benefit employees and the bottom line Today's ways of working are not working-even for professionals in "good" jobs. Responding to global competition and pressure from financial markets, companies are asking employees to do more with less, even as new technologies normalize 24/7 job expectations. In Overload, Erin Kelly and Phyllis Moen document how this new intensification of work creates chronic stress, leading to burnout, attrition, and underperformance. "Flexible" work policies and corporate lip service about "work-life balance" don't come close to fixing the problem. But this unhealthy and unsustainable situation can be changed-and Overload shows how. Drawing on five years of research, including hundreds of interviews with employees and managers, Kelly and Moen tell the story of a major experiment that they helped design and implement at a Fortune 500 firm. The company adopted creative and practical work redesigns that gave workers more control over how and where they worked and encouraged managers to evaluate performance in new ways. The result? Employees' health, well-being, and ability to manage their personal and work lives improved, while the company benefited from higher job satisfaction and lower turnover. And, as Kelly and Moen show, such changes can-and should-be made on a wide scale. Complete with advice about ways that employees, managers, and corporate leaders can begin to question and fix one of today's most serious workplace problems, Overload is an inspiring account about how rethinking and redesigning work could transform our lives and companies.

The Baby Boomer generation is facing a time of heightened uncertainty. Blessed with unprecedented levels of education, health, and life expectancy, many hope to contribute to society after their retirement. Yet they must also navigate ambiguous career exits and retirement paths, as established scripts for schooling, parenting, and careers continue to unravel. In Encore Adulthood, Phyllis Moen presents the realities of the "encore" life stage - the years between traditional careers and childraising and old age. Drawing on large-scale data sets and interviews with Boomers, HR personnel, and policymakers, this book illuminates the challenges that Boomers encounter as they transition from traditional careers into retirement. Beyond data analysis, Moen discusses the personal impact for Boomers' wellbeing, happiness, and health when they are unable to engage in meaningful work during their encore years, as well as the potential economic loss that would occur when a large, qualified group of people prematurely exit the workforce. Moen concludes with proposals for a range of encore jobs that could galvanize Boomers to take on desirable and sought-after second acts, emphasizing meaningful work over high-paying jobs and flexibility over long hours. An important analysis of an understudied and new life stage, Encore Adulthood makes an important contribution to the existing scholarship on careers, work, and retirement.

By linking a wide range of social and economic conditions, The State of Americans is a "thoughtful, compelling piece of work" that presents a comprehensive overview of American social trends (William J. Bennett, bestselling author). With previous publications about social problems dealing with one issue at a time, The State of Americans is the first book to bring together the demographic data on social trends, systematically examining the relationships among them. Readers will find evidence supporting the authors' claims that it is impossible to determine where America is headed unless there is consideration of factors such as family structures and social attitudes and recognition of how they influence each other. The State of Americans is the perfect read for anyone looking to understand the interrelationships among social and economic conditions and how they can determine whether the nation is prospering or declining.

How do two-career couples manage in a one-career world?It's about Time examines this mismatch between outdated scripts and the experiences of dual-earner couples. It broadens our understanding of occupational and family career strategies couples use in light of the widening gap between their real lives and the outdated work-hour and career-path roles, rules, and regulations they confront. It's about Time draws on the data from the Cornell Couples and Careers Study to demonstrate that: *Regardless of income, time is a scarce commodity in dual-earner households. With two jobs, two commutes, often long work hours, high job demands, business travel, several cars, children, ailing relatives, and/or pets - time is always an issue.*Time is built into jobs and career paths in ways that make continuous full-time (40 or typically more hours a week) paid work a fact of life in American society. *The multiple strands of life career, family and personal unfold over time. Spouses move through their life courses in tandem, with early choices - to have children or not, to work long hours or not, to switch jobs or not, to relocate for his or her career or not all having long-term consequences for life quality and for gender inequality.The evidence from this book suggests that it is about time for the United States to confront the realities and needs of contemporary working couples and indeed, all members of the new workforce. To do so requires more than Band-Aid, short-term (and often short-sighted) policy remedies. It's about Time argues that it is essential to re-imagine and reconfigure work hours, workweeks, and occupational career paths in ways that address the widening gaps between the time needs and goals of workers and their families, at all ages and stages of the life course."

The United States will enter the twenty-first century with an increasingly diverse, unequal, and divided population. Longstanding tensions persist between ethnic groups, rich and poor, and immigrants and the native-born. New sources of strain involve sexual and gender minorities, those who possess alternate family forms, and white and nonwhite immigrants, as well as the widening gulf between rich and poor Americans.A Nation Divided offers a fresh approach to these controversial issues. In this volume, leading social scientists explore the potentially explosive combination of diversity and inequality. Using the latest theory and research, the authors show how different groups become socially and economically unequal and how such patterns of "durable inequality" affect national stability. They also discuss strategies for reducing durable inequality and creating social harmony. Their contributions address the changing demography of diversity and inequality and the interplay of diversity, inequality, and community in educational institutions, the military, the family, popular culture, and religion.

Phyllis Moen describes the meshing of work and family roles not only as the private dilemma of individual women and their families but also as a public dilemma for the nation. This is an issue linked to deep apprehensions about families' and children's well-being, to demands for gender equality, to the outcry of some for a return to the traditional wife-as-homemaker role, and to growing concerns about labor market needs, productivity, and economic competitiveness. Moen addresses the following central question: What are the major implications--for society, families, husbands, children, and women themselves--of the substantial and progressive movement of American women into the labor force? The dominant focus is on employed mothers of young children (those under the age of six) since it is these women who have experienced the greatest change and who encounter the greatest difficulty in reconciling employment demands and family responsibilities. An overriding theme is the unevenness of social change: American mothers of young children may be moving into the labor force in unprecendented numbers, but husbands, employers, and public policies are slow to accommodate this emerging reality. The issues raised are of concern to a broad spectrum of the educated public, but the book should be no less valuable to social scientists seeking to extend their knowledge of issues in this area of growing concern and can be used in courses relating to the sociology of the family, social problems, gender roles, and social policy.