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Finding Time: The Economics of Work-Life Conflict
Employers today are demanding more and more of employees’ time. And from campaign barbecues to the blogosphere, workers across the United States are raising the same worried How can I get ahead at my job while making sure my family doesn’t fall behind?
Heather Boushey argues that resolving work-life conflicts is as vital for individuals and families as it is essential for realizing the country’s productive potential. The federal government, however, largely ignores the connection between individual work-life conflicts and more sustainable economic growth. The business and government treat the most important things in life―health, children, elders―as matters for workers to care about entirely on their own time and dime. That might have worked in the past, but only thanks to a hidden the American Wife, a behind-the-scenes, stay-at-home fixer of what economists call market failures. When women left the home―out of desire and necessity―the old system fell apart. Families and the larger economy have yet to recover.
But change is possible. Finding Time presents detailed innovations to help Americans find the time they need and help businesses attract more productive workers. A policy wonk with working-class roots and a deep understanding of the stresses faced by families up and down the income ladder, Heather Boushey demonstrates with clarity and compassion that economic efficiency and equity do not have to be enemies. They can be reconciled if we have the vision to forge a new social contract for business, government, and private citizens.
Heather Boushey argues that resolving work-life conflicts is as vital for individuals and families as it is essential for realizing the country’s productive potential. The federal government, however, largely ignores the connection between individual work-life conflicts and more sustainable economic growth. The business and government treat the most important things in life―health, children, elders―as matters for workers to care about entirely on their own time and dime. That might have worked in the past, but only thanks to a hidden the American Wife, a behind-the-scenes, stay-at-home fixer of what economists call market failures. When women left the home―out of desire and necessity―the old system fell apart. Families and the larger economy have yet to recover.
But change is possible. Finding Time presents detailed innovations to help Americans find the time they need and help businesses attract more productive workers. A policy wonk with working-class roots and a deep understanding of the stresses faced by families up and down the income ladder, Heather Boushey demonstrates with clarity and compassion that economic efficiency and equity do not have to be enemies. They can be reconciled if we have the vision to forge a new social contract for business, government, and private citizens.
360 pages, Hardcover
Published April 19, 2016
12 people are currently reading
530 people want to read
About the author
Heather Boushey
21 books22 followersHeather Boushey is Executive Director and Chief Economist at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 21, 2016
A hugely valuable contribution to the woeful national "debate" around family friendly policies, or what Ms. Boushey calls "work-life" policies. And she does so by reframing the discussion from entitlements for families to an approach grounded in economics (her ph d) and what is good for the economy as a whole.
To be clear, I'm a member of the choir here: I strongly believe that investments in workplace flexibility, paid family leave, and high-quality child and elder-care are no-brainers both for the kind of society we want to have (I'm American) and for the benefits to the economy through greater workforce participation.
She makes a persuasive case about how the economy actually functions, starting with consumer demand (and consumers=families), thus reminding the reader that what is good for families is actually good for consumers... and hence the economy. It's a welcome shift from the myopic focus on the individual firm as the arbiter of what is good for the economy.
I only have two minor quibbles. First, I'm not sure who the intended audience is. Me, the already-converted looking for a more thorough distillation of the issues and likely policy-prescriptions? Fellow academics/think-tankers? Politicians? This lack of clear audience contributes to the second issue, which is that the book ends up feeling repetitive in making the same points. I get the desire to hammer home a point through repetition, but I often found myself nodding along "yeah, I get it: what's next?" as I read.
A minor beef with an important book, and one that hopefully policymakers can look to as they get off their asses and actually try to do something to benefit working families.
To be clear, I'm a member of the choir here: I strongly believe that investments in workplace flexibility, paid family leave, and high-quality child and elder-care are no-brainers both for the kind of society we want to have (I'm American) and for the benefits to the economy through greater workforce participation.
She makes a persuasive case about how the economy actually functions, starting with consumer demand (and consumers=families), thus reminding the reader that what is good for families is actually good for consumers... and hence the economy. It's a welcome shift from the myopic focus on the individual firm as the arbiter of what is good for the economy.
I only have two minor quibbles. First, I'm not sure who the intended audience is. Me, the already-converted looking for a more thorough distillation of the issues and likely policy-prescriptions? Fellow academics/think-tankers? Politicians? This lack of clear audience contributes to the second issue, which is that the book ends up feeling repetitive in making the same points. I get the desire to hammer home a point through repetition, but I often found myself nodding along "yeah, I get it: what's next?" as I read.
A minor beef with an important book, and one that hopefully policymakers can look to as they get off their asses and actually try to do something to benefit working families.
August 12, 2020
Great introduction to the economics of work life balance
Although heavily focused on the US case, "Finding Time" is an excellent introduction to the analysis of the transformations in the economy that the mass participation of women in the labor market implied. In particular, it highlights the conflicts between reproductive/care work and market work, and how the structures of the second have failed to follow the changes that have occurred in the first one, hurting workers, families and the economy in general. It also highlights how this changes have a different incidence and effects depending on the income available to the households, leading to different adjustment strategies and costs in terms of the well being of household members.
Although heavily focused on the US case, "Finding Time" is an excellent introduction to the analysis of the transformations in the economy that the mass participation of women in the labor market implied. In particular, it highlights the conflicts between reproductive/care work and market work, and how the structures of the second have failed to follow the changes that have occurred in the first one, hurting workers, families and the economy in general. It also highlights how this changes have a different incidence and effects depending on the income available to the households, leading to different adjustment strategies and costs in terms of the well being of household members.
May 9, 2017
Thank you for writing this book. For years, I have been ranting about how the world is set up to assume everyone has a wife at home to take care of everything and now I have a smart, well-written analysis of why this set up makes zero economic sense to point people to. Keep up the good work!
November 1, 2020
Más como 3.5. Me pareció una buena introducción en el tema, sin embargo creo que muy enfocado a Estados Unidos, y los problemas políticos correspondientes. Entonces en varias partes me resultó pesado. Pero en general nos dice algo importante y relevante que debemos atender: el balance vida-trabajo.
November 24, 2022
I don't usually review the books I read, but this one I have to: I'd love to see this updated for the pandemic era, but even as is it's one of the best books I've ever read. Data-backed, clearly expressed, incredible.
January 30, 2019
good ideas, but repetitive and doesn’t consider any of the downfalls/costs of her simplified model
December 9, 2016
Listen to Heather Boushey discuss her book during a webinar with AAUW members.
Paying the Second Shift
American workers navigating today's 24/7 economy need a contract renegotiation, argues Heather Boushey in Finding Time: The Economics of Work-Life Conflict. The economist takes readers through a sweeping history of supply, demand, and economic policies affecting the care economy, from Henry VIII-era Poor Laws to the New Deal to today.
Historically, laws proposed to institutionalize paid leave, sick days, and affordable, high-quality child care have failed thanks to the conflation of these programs with "charity." But what if we thought of these benefits as investments, not handouts? Employees with affordable care and flexible schedules are not just happier; they're more productive, and they tend to stay at their jobs longer. Yet the ideas that make working outside the home more manageable for women also generated anxiety that the traditional, patriarchal family model would be thrown into chaos.
Our economy is now far from traditional in the Leave it to Beaver sense. Many households are led by single women breadwinners, or single men, or same-sex partners. But policies still assume there's a parent (wife) available to take care of family needs, unpaid.
In a review that's structured like a series of digestible lectures, Boushey investigates how to improve work-life balance for today's workers through policy. She argues for paid leave and sick days, flexible schedules, and an end to caregiver bias -- which has led to undervaluing and underpaying jobs that women historically performed without pay. Boushey also points out that work-life policies must take intersectionality into account: Even Frances Perkins, the "woman behind the New Deal" and its eight-hour workday, did not manage to extend the same worker protections to African Americans.
Boushey uses her economist's lens to argue that workers with the means and time to take care of their families have more resources to pour into the economy, have healthier kids, and provide businesses with better-quality employees.
If that's not a bottom line, I don't know what is.
This review originally appeared in the summer 2016 issue of AAUW's membership magazine, AAUW Outlook.
Paying the Second Shift
American workers navigating today's 24/7 economy need a contract renegotiation, argues Heather Boushey in Finding Time: The Economics of Work-Life Conflict. The economist takes readers through a sweeping history of supply, demand, and economic policies affecting the care economy, from Henry VIII-era Poor Laws to the New Deal to today.
Historically, laws proposed to institutionalize paid leave, sick days, and affordable, high-quality child care have failed thanks to the conflation of these programs with "charity." But what if we thought of these benefits as investments, not handouts? Employees with affordable care and flexible schedules are not just happier; they're more productive, and they tend to stay at their jobs longer. Yet the ideas that make working outside the home more manageable for women also generated anxiety that the traditional, patriarchal family model would be thrown into chaos.
Our economy is now far from traditional in the Leave it to Beaver sense. Many households are led by single women breadwinners, or single men, or same-sex partners. But policies still assume there's a parent (wife) available to take care of family needs, unpaid.
In a review that's structured like a series of digestible lectures, Boushey investigates how to improve work-life balance for today's workers through policy. She argues for paid leave and sick days, flexible schedules, and an end to caregiver bias -- which has led to undervaluing and underpaying jobs that women historically performed without pay. Boushey also points out that work-life policies must take intersectionality into account: Even Frances Perkins, the "woman behind the New Deal" and its eight-hour workday, did not manage to extend the same worker protections to African Americans.
Boushey uses her economist's lens to argue that workers with the means and time to take care of their families have more resources to pour into the economy, have healthier kids, and provide businesses with better-quality employees.
If that's not a bottom line, I don't know what is.
This review originally appeared in the summer 2016 issue of AAUW's membership magazine, AAUW Outlook.
August 16, 2016
An excellent, easy-to-understand look at what is really holding the US exonomy back: the inability to accept the reality that families largely do not have a caregiver who doesn't work. With chapters titled "here", "there", "fair", and others, Boushey spells out policy changes that can make the balance between work and home life easier for everyone to navigate.
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October 4, 2016The October 2016 selection for the AAUW Book Club.
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September 27, 2020Me rendí, no creo terminarlo.
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November 4, 2016650.11 B777 2016
April 18, 2017
Manifesto on liberalism and borderline socialism. Seems to have a love affair with unions, Pelosi, Obama, Clinton and all others with the left agenda to incorporate extensive paid time off for all ailment, family planning and elder care.
I think the book could have been shorter. I did have some ideas that manifested from the book that were worthwhile.
Too much west coast liberalism for me. A balanced viewpoint would have been more valuable and practical.
Author does seem like a good person.
I think the book could have been shorter. I did have some ideas that manifested from the book that were worthwhile.
Too much west coast liberalism for me. A balanced viewpoint would have been more valuable and practical.
Author does seem like a good person.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews