Starting in Our Own Backyards: How Working Families Can Build Community and Survive the New Economy

BOOK COVER......Page 1
HALF-TITLE......Page 2
TITLE......Page 3
COPYRIGHT......Page 4
DEDICATION......Page 5
CONTENTS......Page 6
PART I WORK, FAMILY, AND COMMUNITY IN THE NEW ECONOMY......Page 24
CHAPTER ONE NEW TERRAIN FOR WORK AND FAMILY......Page 25
THE PERSONAL IS INTELLECTUAL…AND POLITICAL......Page 26
PAID WORK AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT......Page 29
WHEN WOMEN LEFT THE KITCHEN AND THE CRADLE: DEBATES ON WORK AND FAMILY......Page 30
BRINGING IN THE COMMUNITY: A NEW LOOK AT THE BACKYARD......Page 34
WHAT WOULD DE TOCQUEVILLE SAY NOW? DEBATES ON CIVIL SOCIETY......Page 36
INTRODUCING THE COMPANIES......Page 39
INTRODUCING THE FAMILIES......Page 40
JESSICA’S STORY......Page 43
BIOTECH IN MASSACHUSETTS......Page 46
IS THE MASSACHUSETTS BIOTECH INDUSTRY FAMILY-FRIENDLY?......Page 47
CONSIDERING “COMMUNITY RELATIONS”......Page 49
THREE BIOTECH FIRMS......Page 51
INSIDE THE BIOTECH WORKPLACE......Page 53
CRYSTAL’S STORY......Page 54
BETH’S STORY......Page 55
PARENTAL LEAVE: AFFORDABILITY AND ATTACHMENT......Page 57
CARING FOR SICK CHILDREN: NOT A DAY OFF......Page 60
FLEXIBILITY FOR WHOM?......Page 61
“FAMILY VALUES” OR VALUING FAMILIES......Page 63
CREATING A FAMILY-FRIENDLY WORKPLACE: A SHARED PROJECT......Page 64
CHAPTER THREE ALL IN THE FAMILY......Page 66
BEYOND THE TIME DEFICIT......Page 68
WORKING AGAINST THE ODDS......Page 69
THE DAILY WORK-FAMILY ROUTINE......Page 70
SHARING TASKS VERSUS SHARING RESPONSIBILITY......Page 71
THE MYTH OF THE STAY-AT-HOME MOM......Page 72
BEING MOM AND DAD WHEN YOU’RE JUST MOM......Page 73
THE UNRESPONSIVE WORKPLACE......Page 75
WORK SPILLOVER: OR “JUST A MINUTE, I’M FINISHING MY E-MAIL”......Page 76
“I’ LIKE TO WORK PART-TIME, BUT…”......Page 78
FAMILY STRATEGIES: THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE......Page 79
GENDER INEQUALITY IN THE FAMILY, REVISITED......Page 80
BEYOND PRIVATE SOLUTIONS......Page 82
PART II FROM FAMILY CONNECTIONS TO COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT......Page 84
CHAPTER FOUR COMMUNITY AS A STARTING POINT......Page 85
COMPANIES MOVE, BUT FAMILIES DON’T ALWAYS FOLLOW......Page 86
WHEN MAJOR DECISIONS ARE NOT NEGOTIATED......Page 91
WHAT IS COMMUNITY?......Page 92
THE EMPIRICAL COMMUNITY......Page 94
PLACE MATTERS: EXPLORING THE COMMUNITY CONTEXT......Page 96
THE DEEP DIVIDE: THE DISTANCE BETWEEN HOME AND WORK......Page 98
CHOOSING A COMMUNITY OF RESIDENCE: OPPORTUNITIES AND CONSTRAINTS......Page 101
ONWARD AND UPWARD?......Page 102
THE PASTURES OF SUBURBIA ARE NOT ALWAYS GREENER......Page 104
INSIDERS OR OUTSIDERS IN SUBURBIA: WHO BELONGS?......Page 105
PLACES WHERE “EVERYONE KNOWS YOUR NAME”......Page 106
THE PERSISTENCE OF “ROOTS”......Page 107
DEFINING THE FAMILY-FRIENDLY COMMUNITY......Page 109
WHAT USE IS A COMMUNITY INDEX?......Page 111
QUALITY OF LIFE AND COMMUNITY RESOURCES: BUILDING RECIPROCITY......Page 112
MAPPING WORK-FAMILY-COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS......Page 113
MAP CONSTRUCTION: PROCESS AND CONTENT......Page 114
WHAT DO THE MAPS TELL US?......Page 115
THE EXTENDED FAMILY IS ALIVE AND WELL......Page 118
“A PLACE WHERE EVERYONE KNOWS YOUR NAME”......Page 121
KEEPING THE FAITH......Page 124
TGIM—“THANK GOD IT’S MONDAY”......Page 127
LOOKING AT COMMUNITY THROUGH A SPATIAL LENS......Page 130
LOOKING AT COMMUNITY THROUGH A LIFE COURSE LENS......Page 132
FAMILY ASSETS: DIVERSE COMMUNITIES, COMMON CONNECTIONS......Page 133
CHAPTER SIX CHILDCARE AND OTHER BUILDING BLOCKS OF CIVIL SOCIETY......Page 135
DO MIDDLE-CLASS FAMILIES FACE A CARE CRISIS?......Page 137
MOTHER CARE OR OTHER CARE?......Page 138
THE SEARCH FOR CHILDCARE......Page 139
THE AFFORDABILITY ISSUE......Page 142
RELATIVES AND BACKUP CARE......Page 143
THE PARENT-PROVIDER RELATIONSHIP: ALMOST LIKE FAMILY......Page 144
NEGOTIATING CLOSENESS AND DIFFERENCES......Page 145
FINDING A NEW PURPOSE IN RETIREMENT......Page 147
FAMILY CARE AND COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS......Page 148
NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF CONNECTION: CARE FOR SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN......Page 150
COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS FOR FAMILIES......Page 152
ELDER CARE: AN EMERGING FAMILY CARE ISSUE......Page 153
AN EXTENDED FAMILY APPROACH TO COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT......Page 155
FAMILY CARE AND CIVIL SOCIETY......Page 156
IS THE 21ST CENTURY THE AGE OF PARENTAL ANXIETY?......Page 159
A HISTORY LESSON......Page 161
NEW QUESTIONS, NEW ANSWERS......Page 163
HOMEWORK HELP......Page 164
VOLUNTEERING AT SCHOOL......Page 165
WHERE’S THE WELCOME MAT?......Page 166
THE OLD MODEL OF PARENT INVOLVEMENT......Page 169
NEW MODELS OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT......Page 172
NO MORE MILK AND COOKIES: WORKING PARENTS AS AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVISTS......Page 173
THE WORK OF “HOMETOWN HEROES”......Page 174
THE PARENT CONNECTION......Page 177
LEARNING NEW SUBJECTS......Page 179
CHAPTER EIGHT NOT BY BREAD ALONE......Page 181
FAITH AND COMMUNITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY......Page 182
SEARCHING BEYOND THE SECULAR......Page 184
RESHAPING FAMILY RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS......Page 185
CREATING NEW TRADITIONS......Page 187
CAN WORKING MOMS BE LAY LEADERS TOO?......Page 190
GENDER AND RELIGIOUS INVOLVEMENT......Page 192
CAN FAITH-BASED INSTITUTIONS ERASE INEQUALITY?......Page 193
VOLUNTEERS FOR THE ANNUAL CHURCH SUPPER?......Page 195
FINDING MEANING BEYOND PAID WORK......Page 197
FAITH IN EACH OTHER: BUILDING RELIGIOUS INVOLVEMENT AND COMMUNITY......Page 201
WHAT CAN RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS DO FOR WORKING FAMILIES?......Page 204
PART III INVESTING IN COMMUNITY: EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS......Page 205
A STORY FROM THE FRONT LINES OF PARENT ENPOWERMENT......Page 206
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND WORK REDESIGN......Page 211
PARENT-TO-PARENT SUPPORT: FRIENDS AND ORGANIZERS......Page 214
IT TAKES A FAMILY, A NEIGHBORHOOD, AND A WORKPLACE TO CREATE A COMMUNITY CAREGIVER......Page 217
THE THIRD SHIFT: CARING FOR COMMUNITY IS NOT JUST “WOMEN’S WORK”......Page 218
RETHINKING GENDER ROLES AND WORKPLACE NORMS......Page 220
IMPEDIMENTS IN THE WORKPLACE......Page 221
FROM COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS TO COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT......Page 222
CHAPTER TEN FROM BACKYARDS TO CORPORATE BOARDROOMS AND BEYOND......Page 225
WHAT CAN BUSINESS DO?......Page 226
SOME BUSINESSES MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS......Page 228
LABOR/MANAGEMENT PARTNERSHIPS FOR WORKING FAMILIES......Page 229
PROMOTING COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT......Page 231
WHAT CAN GOVERNMENT DO?......Page 233
GOVERNMENT AS MODEL EMPLOYER: BUILDING COMMUNITY CAPACITY......Page 234
PUBLIC POLICIES FOR WORKING FAMILIES......Page 235
THE BULLY PULPIT: FROM RHETORIC TO ACTION......Page 237
WORKING FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY SERVICES......Page 239
REDESIGNING COMMUNITIES......Page 240
“LIVEABLE” COMMUNITIES: AN ALTERNATIVE TO “NIMBYISM”......Page 241
ON THE HOME FRONT......Page 243
THE POTENTIAL OF PARENT POWER......Page 244
POWER IN NUMBERS, ROOTS IN COMMUNITY......Page 245
COMMUNITY IN THEIR OWNTERMS......Page 246
RESPONDING TO THE CALL OF COMMUNITY......Page 248
A NEW TOWN COMMONS......Page 249
EMPLOYERS WHO INVEST IN COMMUNITY......Page 250
LABOR UNIONS WILLING TO EXPERIMENT......Page 251
GOVERNMENT TAKING A UNIVERSAL APPROACH......Page 252
TOOLS FOR BUILDING LIVABLE COMMUNITIES......Page 254
CROSS-SECTOR SOLUTIONS......Page 255
“THE HEARTLESS WORLD”......Page 256
MAPPING INTERVIEWS......Page 258
COMMUNITY PROFILES AND SECONDARY DATA ANALYSIS......Page 259
APPENDIX TWO CONSTRUCTING A FAMILY-FRIENDLY COMMUNITY INDEX......Page 260
2. PRESCHOOL CHILDCARE......Page 263
3. SCHOOL-AGE CHILDCARE......Page 264
5. ELDER CARE......Page 265
7. PARKS, PECREATION, AND OPEN SPACE......Page 266
10. INTEGRATED HEALTH AND FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES......Page 267
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 268
INTRODUCTION......Page 269
CHAPTER 1......Page 270
CHAPTER 2......Page 277
CHAPTER 3......Page 280
CHAPTER 4......Page 281
CHAPTER 5......Page 284
CHAPTER 6......Page 286
CHAPTER 7......Page 289
CHAPTER 8......Page 290
CHAPTER 9......Page 292
CHAPTER 10......Page 293
CHAPTER 11......Page 298
INDEX......Page 300