Insuring Family Risks: Suggestions for a National Family Policy and Wage Replacement

Abstract

Managing a family is demanding, especially when combined with participation in the external work force. Adult workers have always had family responsibilities that at times have conflicted with workplace demands. In recent years, however, several factors have combined to increase the opportunity for this conflict. These factors include an increase in the number of families with both parents in the workforce, an increase in the number of one-parent families, and an aging population that has led to an increased number of families caring for elderly relatives. But perhaps the leading factor contributing to an increased tension between work and family, however, has been the increased number of women in the work force.