Finding Time

The Economics of Work-Life Conflict

Heather Boushey

• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN:
  9780674241497
  9780674660168
• eBook ISBN:
  9780674968622
• Topic: Economics
• Subtopic: Labour Economics
• Index: Economics

"Ambitious, fast-paced, fact-filled, and accessible."
—Science

"A compelling case for why achieving the right balance of time with our families…is vital to the economic success and prosperity of our nation… A must read."
—Maria Shriver

From backyard barbecues to the blogosphere, working men and women across the country are raising the same worried question: How can I get ahead at my job while making sure my family doesn't suffer? A visionary economist who has looked at the numbers behind the personal stories, Heather Boushey argues that resolving the work–life conflict is as vital for us personally as it is essential economically. Finding Time offers ingenious ways to help us carve out the time we need, while showing businesses that more flexible policies can actually make them more productive.

"Supply and demand curves are suddenly 'sexy' when Boushey uses them to prove that paid sick days, paid family leave, flexible work schedules, and affordable child care aren't just cutesy women's issues for families to figure out 'on their own time and dime,' but economic issues affecting the country at large."
—Vogue

"Boushey argues that better family-leave policies should not only improve the lives of struggling families but also boost workers' productivity and reduce firms' costs."
—The Economist

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• Introduction
• I. Our Roots
• II. Stalled: Today’s Middle Class
• III. Stuck: Today’s Low-Income Families
• IV. Soaring above and Sounding the Alarm: Today’s Professional Families
• V. Thinking Like an Economist
• VI. Here at Home: Paid Time off to Care
• VII. There at Work: Scheduling Time
• VIII. Care: When You Can’t Be at Home
• IX. Fair: Finding the Right Path
• Conclusion
• Appendix: Data and Methods
• Figure Sources
• Notes
• Acknowledgments
• Index