Current Trends: Work and Family

Introduction

The issue of balancing work and family life has been a subject of debate for many years, especially with the increased participation of women in the workforce ( Tézli, Lazarova, Westman & Shaffer, 2010) . The post-industrial era has contributed to different social, demographic, and economic changes, which have changed the conditions of the modern family life ( Tézli, Lazarova, Westman & Shaffer, 2010) . Some of the changes that have emerged from the alteration of the traditional social, economic, and demographic factors include an increased number of women participating in the labor force, erosion of the conventional gender-based roles, and changes in the division of domestic labor ( Tézli, Lazarova, Westman & Shaffer, 2010) . Although the combination of work and family presents numerous benefits, including financial stability in families among others, balancing between work and family poses a considerable challenge to parents since it not only denies them adequate time to work and be with families, but it also affects their mental health ( Tézli, Lazarova, Westman & Shaffer, 2010) . This research paper applies the social-functional sociological theory in examining the concept of work-life balance as well as identifying key areas that can be transformed following the emerging trends in demographics, environment, and technology. 

Work-Family Conflict 

The conflict that occurs between work and family is often conceptualized using the role strain approach and the role conflict approach. The combination of the two methods leads to three primary forms of conflicts that emanate from the competing demands of the family and work spheres. The first form of conflict is time-related, and it occurs whenever time strain in family life extends or affects work or vice versa ( Tézli, Lazarova, Westman & Shaffer, 2010) . The second form of conflict is strain-based, and it emerges from the aspect of tensions arising in family life and affecting or spilling over to work or vice versa. The final form of conflict involves one's performance in the parental role is impeded by specific behaviors of factors that are crucial in the workplace or vice versa, often resulting in behavior-related strain. These forms of conflicts often lead to time constraints that are commonly associated with causing the high levels of stress that working parents experience. 

According to Hewitt, Craig, and Baxter (2012), the majority of working parents experience challenges in finding good quality, affordable, and continuous childcare, as well as problems about working for more extended hours and taking work home. These factors put excessive strain on the parents since they often experience difficulties in balancing between their work and their family. Tézli, Lazarova, Westman, and Shaffer, (2010) n ote that women are the most affected regarding the stress that emanates from balancing family and work since they are traditionally considered to be the primary caregivers in the family. Hence, they end up working more extended hours because apart from doing the formal paid work, they spend long hours performing unpaid work in their homes, such as childcare among other domestic responsibilities that are associated with women. 

In the recent years, more women are entering the workforce since the current economic factors, including the rising cost of living and the stagnating income of men among others, have made a second income crucial to sustaining the financial needs of most families adequately. Besides, most people have embarked on working for more extended hours to increase their earnings so that they can meet their financial obligations ( Ruppanner, 2013) . However, given these changing conditions, combining work and family remains a significant challenge for most parents, especially women. According to Kang and Deepak (2014) , most parents have agreed that their most significant problem is balancing between the time spent at work and the time spent at home with their families. The parents are in a constant struggle since the family responsibilities, and work demands compete for time allocation, an aspect that is a significant source of stress for working parents.

The emanating stress presents several negative consequences to the children, workplace, family, the individual, and the larger society. Stress affects an individual’s mental well-being as well as one’s physical health. On the other hand, stress affects families by causing unnecessary tensions, as well as poor parenting behavior, which often results in marital conflict and general dissatisfaction in one’s family life ( Halbesleben, Wheeler & Rossi, 2012) . Further, stress is detrimental to one’s performance at the workplace, since it acts as a distraction and often contributes to poor concentration and low job satisfaction, which in turn contributes to low productivity and effectiveness, adding to overall poor organizational performance. Organizations also suffer from the high turnover rates emanating from higher rates of employee turnover that are stress-influenced. 

In addition to the stress-related consequences, organizations also experience higher levels of inefficiency and low productivity from the female workers, who are often forced to report to work late or leave early since they have to attend to family emergencies and other family concerns. Working mothers often face societal pressure that emanates from the different cultural factors that still identify women as the primary caregivers in the family, which creates the perception that women cannot adequately cater for the needs of their children if they are working ( Halbesleben, Wheeler & Rossi, 2012) . Given the fact that men are rarely engaged in the role of bringing up children, women experience more strain in balancing between the unpaid labor and the paid labor compared to the men. As a result, women perform poorly both at the workplace and in taking care of the children, an element that often presents adverse effects on the child's wellbeing and development.

Application of the Structural- Functional Theory to the Work-Family Trends

Structural-functionalism is a sociological theory that perceives society in the form of a complex system, whose different parts work together in promoting stability and solidarity. In this context, organization is described as having different aspects, including social constructs and institutions that together work to ensure that the whole functions smoothly ( Bolton & Laaser, 2013) . The theory postulates that society comprises of fundamental social structures that guide human life, including the community, religious organizations, and families. Each of the social structures has its unique social functions that are crucial in the operation of the larger society. For instance, education is crucial in learning and socialization processes. Functionalism explores the concept of society in the context of the function that each of its constituent elements, including institutions, traditions, customs, and norms. 

Functionalists examine the relationship between work and family by exploring the role that each aspect plays. Functionalists argue that work is a crucial part of human life, especially in the context of acquiring earnings, which are essential in meeting individual and family financial needs ( Bolton & Laaser, 2013) . Further, functionalists consider work as a crucial element in developing one’s overall identity. According to Tézli and Gauthier (2009), the nature of work that one does on a daily basis plays a crucial role in giving one a sense of his or her identity or a sense of who they are. In particular, Tézli and Gauthier (2009) note that individuals who love and enjoy their work derive a sense of self-confidence, self-fulfillment, and self-esteem from their work. The workplace also acts as an ideal place for developing lasting friendships and relationships, adding to the non-material benefits that working parents derive from the workplace. 

On the other hand, functionalists postulate that the family unit is a crucial aspect that performs critical functions that support the continuity of the society. Some of these functions include care, reproduction, socialization, emotional support, protection, regulation of sexual behavior via social norms, and the assignment of status ( Ruppanner, 2013) . By instilling the social culture in children, functionalists maintain that family helps in creating well-integrated society members. Further, functionalists argue that families are responsible for replacing the dying members of the society through the reproduction of new members, as well as proving the emotional and material security that the society needs. Families are also responsible for the provision of support and care to needy individuals.

Structural functionalism is founded on the idea that society is made up of institutions or groups that share universal norms, are cohesive, and possess a definitive culture. The theory maintains that the manner in which societies are organized is the most efficient and natural approach in which it should be organized. One of the factors that functionalists use to illustrate their argument is the concept of gender inequality ( Bolton & Laaser, 2013) . Structural functionalists postulate that society is always able to function smoothly since women are subordinate to men, which helps every member of the society to realize their position in the hierarchy. In this context, functionalists support the aspect of the status quo. Moreover, the theory perceives society as dynamic and continually working towards an equilibrium state, since the social structures that exist within societies support equilibrium. 

Structural functionalism supports the idea of women being subordinate to men as crucial in facilitating smooth functioning of the society; however, modern societies are striving towards gender equity, especially with more women pursuing education and taking similar jobs to men ( Bolton & Laaser, 2013) . The need for women to participate in the workforce largely emanates from the rising cost of living, the emergence of single-parent families, and the stagnation of income among men, factors that have made it essential for families to have a second source of income. Hence, parents, both men, and women are increasingly combining work and family activities. However, combining these aspects remains a crucial challenge for the majority of families, following the strains associated with allocated adequate time for work and family. Women often experience the most significant burden concerning balancing family and work since, despite modern societies advocating for gender equality and encouraging women to engage in paid work actively, women continue to bear the responsibility of unpaid domestic labor and childcare primarily.

As a result, women are forced to either minimize the amount of time spent in paid work or have to live with the stressful events and strains of doing both unpaid domestic labor and their regular paid jobs. These elements create new multifaceted and new challenges that most modern families have to deal with, especially in cases where both parents are working. Poor mental health and poor development are one of the adverse effects on children who lack sufficient time to spend with their parents ( Tézli & Gauthier, 2009) . Marital conflicts have also become common due to increased stress levels among parents who have to balance between family and work. Despite the challenges that working parents face, the most report several financial and non-financial benefits from working in formal jobs. These benefits include increased family income where both parents are working, a sense of identity and self-esteem, and the creation of viable and lasting relationships and friendships. Hence, based on the aspect of the need to achieve stability in societies as presented by structural functionalists, there is need to transform some aspects of the modern society to achieve a sense of equilibrium or balance to facilitate smooth functioning of the society. 

Possible Areas of Transformation

Given the current demographic, environmental, and technological trends several transformations can be made to minimize work-family conflicts. One of the areas that can be transformed pertains to the role of women in the society. In most societies, women ordinarily spend more time in child-rearing and other unpaid domestic activities than men although they spend the same amount of time with the men in performing the paid formal jobs or tasks. As a result, working women report higher levels of stress since they have to juggle family work, and responsibilities about children. The resulting pressure often leads to inefficiencies at the workplace as well as putting strain on the marital relationships due to fatigue and lack of time ( Halbesleben, Wheeler & Rossi, 2012) . In a bid to resolve the work-family challenges that women experience, measures should be put in place to encourage men or husbands to support women, especially in performing domestic responsibilities, which would be helpful in ensuring that women succeed in their careers as well as in their role in the children’s life.

According to Taylor, Delcampo, and Blancero (2009) , working mothers in families where both the wife and husband are equally engaged in childcare and domestic duties are more satisfied and experience less guilt. The high levels of satisfaction enable them to succeed in their careers since their level of output at work is high, and they also help in creating an ideal home environment for their children to thrive due to low levels of marital conflicts. Sharing the responsibilities would also help in encouraging mothers to get more involved in income-generating activities. Participating in such activities helps working mothers to support the financial needs of the family, become intellectually and economically empowered, and contribute to a positive family environment by allocating sufficient time to spend with the family members. 

Another area that can be transformed pertains to organizational policies and culture. Organizations should consider implementing policies that are family friendly. For instance, providing flexible working hours for women with children without necessarily compensating them lower than their male counterparts. Organizations should also work towards developing a family-friendly culture to encourage more parents to engage in the workforce ( Taylor, Delcampo & Blancero, 2009) . Organizations should consider incorporating such aspects as childcare facilities within their environment to help parents to access reliable, affordable, and continuous, and quality childcare, which is one of the major factors that discourage parents, particularly women from pursuing formal jobs. Lack of proper childcare also affects organizations to a large extent since parents often leave the workplace early or go to work late as they are forced to prioritize the needs of their children. 

Apart from implementing family-friendly policies, organizations should embrace and implement modern technologies that enable people to work from the comfort of their homes at any time of the day ( Ruppanner, 2013) . The technological advancements, which include the internet, have made it possible for people to work away from the office. With such technologies as video conferencing, individuals can perform such tasks as conducting market research and preparing reports using computers at home and report on their progress through video conferencing or send the reports via e-mail. Video conferencing technologies have also eliminated the need for individuals to attend meetings in the office physically. Therefore, organizations can play a vital role in minimizing work-family conflicts by incorporating the use of such technologies, since they give employees the necessary flexibility to perform formally paid tasks and the unpaid family responsibilities.

Conclusion

Work-family conflicts have become common phenomena in the modern society, particularly with the rising cost of living, a growth of single-parent families, and the stagnation of the earnings of men, which have contributed to the increase in the number of women participating in the workforce. However, women are still considered as the primary caregivers in the home and are therefore expected to perform nearly all the domestic duties as well as childcare. For working women, having to perform both the formal and domestic responsibilities often leads to stress since they have to balance their time between family and work, often leading to fatigue and family conflicts. However, these conflicts can be minimized with the implementation of proper policies and the development of a family-friendly culture, both at the societal and organizational level. Some of the areas that can be transformed include the elimination of the traditional perception of women as the primary caregivers by promoting a culture that perceives domestic tasks and childcare as a shared role between men and women. Moreover, organizations should invest in incorporating technologies that allow people to work from the comfort of their homes, which would mainly help parents to balance their work and family life. Further, organizations should implement family-friendly policies and structures, such as policies that allow women to work for fewer hours without necessarily compensating them lesser than men. The organizations should also invest in such structures as childcare facilities for working parents to increase their productivity by eliminating aspects of anxiety that emanate from the lack of reliable, affordable, and continuous childcare. 

References

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