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The purpose of this paper is to review a group of books focusing on work‐family research and applications.

The paper takes the form of a summary and critique of recently published books centering on work‐family issues.

Significantly expanded views of work‐family issues are represented in the multicultural, multidisciplinary perspectives presented in a series of books.

By considering a number of different publications, the researcher, instructor, or practitioner can learn about advances in the work‐family domain.

The purpose of this article is to investigate work‐family interventions in Italian organizations within the context of a national welfare regime and in the face of recession.

The results of case studies carried out on eight leading companies in the field of workplace work‐family policies are presented. The case study research is supported by a literature review as well as an analysis of national legislation and political agenda concerning work‐family issues.

Findings indicate that, against the backdrop of the institutional framework, one impact of the recession may be the setting aside of workplace work‐family intervention, especially in small and medium‐sized organizations with limited resources. Evidence collected using case study research suggests that this has not happened in larger companies where employers have adopted a strategic approach to work‐family issues. In these larger firms, work‐family policies have been assessed and reorganized as a result of an increasing concern for workplace performance and efficiency. In this regard, resilience to the crisis in workplace arrangements is related to the fact that the adoption of an evidence‐based approach makes economic sense and contributes to obtaining the long‐term support needed from important stakeholders.

The case study companies are not necessarily representative of current workplace intervention in the field; a generalization of the findings may not therefore be appropriate. They do however provide valuable insights for both future research on workplace support and public policy design.

The article investigates the links between the wider social, economic and political context and workplace work‐family arrangements in specific organizations.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the application of qualitative diary methods in the context of research on the work‐family interface.

The diary method was used, in conjunction with semi‐structured interviews, to collect data from 24 dual‐earner couples over a one month period.

The diary method revealed important new insights into how couples managed their work‐family balance on a daily basis by allowing the researcher access to rich episodic data that would not have been available using more traditional approaches. This is particularly important in the area of work and family given its dynamic nature.

The use of this method is time consuming, requires a great deal of dedication from participants and usually results in large quantities of complex data to be analysed. Despite this the suggestion is that this approach is highly valuable in work‐family research in providing a more in‐depth understanding of how these two domains are negotiated.

This paper contributes to the literature on effective qualitative research and explores important areas of consideration for those conducting qualitative diary studies. It is intended to be of use to researchers investigating the area of work and family, as well as to those interested in using qualitative diaries in their research.

The aim of this study is to validate the Korean version of the work‐family enrichment (WFE) scale and identify the current status of work‐family enrichment of workers within the Korean cultural context.

The authors performed a forward and backward translation procedure to develop the Korean version of the WFE scale, which contains the linguistic equivalence between the two language versions of the WFE scale (English and Korean). Also, both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were utilized to test the psychometric fit of the underlying structure of the Korean WFE scale compared with the English version.

The results indicate that the Korean version of the WFE indicates psychometric properties parallel to the English version of the WFE. The findings also include differences in the WFE mean scores for Korean workers based on demographic and work‐related variables.

As in the USA, improving the work‐family balance is perceived as a social imperative in other cultural settings. Empirical studies conducted in the Korean context can potentially demonstrate how individualist‐based hypotheses regarding work‐family interface fit a collectivist‐based cultural setting.

Few studies have investigated the relationship between work-family human resource practices and firm-level outcomes. Several organizational studies have addressed the antecedents to firm adoption of work-family initiatives; however, the majority of work-family research investigates the relationship between work-family practices and individual-level outcomes. The current paper begins by providing a critical analysis and synthesis of the extant work-family literature. In addition, we integrate the organizational learning research on firm commitment to work-family policies and the human resource model. We suggest that the level of firm commitment moderates the relationship between work-family policies, the human resource model, and firm performance. Several propositions for future work-family research are presented.

Acknowledging the importance of work–family practices that extend beyond what is legally mandated and that cover the needs of a diverse workforce, this paper offers a conceptual model that explores the factors that can influence the provision and inclusiveness of work–family policies in organizations.

The conceptual model is based on a thorough literature review of relevant articles in the fields of management and political science.

In line with the upper echelons perspective, chief executive officers’ (CEOs') political ideology is a multidimensional concept, comprising two main dimensions (financial and social) that can influence the provision and inclusiveness of work–family practices. Moreover, the proposed conceptual model considers other important factors, such as the centrality of the CEO's political ideology, as potential moderating factors, as well as the conditional role of institutional pressures. Finally, the proposed model takes into account the important role of line managers/supervisors in the implementation of work–family policies and shows the importance of the provision and inclusiveness of work–family practices for critical organizational outcomes (organizational attraction and turnover).

The proposed conceptual model offers a more in-depth understanding of the factors that influence the provision and inclusiveness of work–family policies.

The paper looks at the tensions and conflict between work and family life that arise from work intensification in higher education, in the particular context of Portuguese academe. Drawing on the concept of work‐family culture, the paper aims to discuss its influence on the level of work‐family conflict and the effectiveness of work‐family policies.

The study was conducted in a Portuguese university. Data were collected from 32 in‐depth interviews with faculty members from different backgrounds and affiliations.

The preservation of traditional gender roles in the family as well as a work‐family culture that is largely family‐unfriendly helps to understand the tensions and conflict between academic work and family life. These tensions are mainly felt by women particularly mothers of dependent children. The data also suggest that work‐family policies are fruitless unless they are supported by a positive work‐family culture.

Study limited to a single university.

The paper provides evidence of the cumulative effect of the traditional division of gender roles in the family and a negative work‐family culture in the organization in contributing to increasing levels of work‐family conflict, particularly in a context of work intensification.

This paper aims to explore generational effects on work‐family conflict and synergy

The design is cross‐sectional and investigates large US national probability samples. Multiple regressions and ANOVAs were used in the analyses.

Generational differences in work‐family conflict and synergy were found. Mental health and job pressure were the strongest predictors of work‐family conflict for each group. Matures were significantly more satisfied than baby boomers and generation Xers.

All measures were self‐reports collected at one point in time. Thus, common method variance may be an issue and causal inferences cannot be made. Life stage and family stage differed for the generational groups and this should be explored in subsequent research.

Managers and human resource professionals need to consider generational differences in work‐family program design and monitor patterns of program usage for each group. Generation X members are particularly concerned about work/life balance.

This is the first paper to investigate generational issues affecting work‐family conflict and synergy. The findings are particularly relevant to managers and human resource professionals.

This paper contributes to the social pillar of sustainable supply chain management. It does so by investigating how women managers in the maritime sector handle work-family conflict, thereby acting as institutional entrepreneurs to create a work-family balance logic. The maritime sector is a male-dominated supply chain management environment, which suffers from a talent gap of a lack of women executives. One reason for this problem is work-family balance issues that deter women from staying in the workforce.

The authors interviewed 35 women working as port managers in different developing countries. The authors analyzed their strategies in coping with the conflict between family and work to create a work-family balance logic.

The authors found four different types of strategies to handle work-family conflicts. Responses showed that women executives in this sector can be institutional entrepreneurs. Based on the findings, the authors were able to confirm and contribute to the existing model proposed by Silva and Nunes (2021) on sustainable supply chain logic. The authors also provided recommendations for these women as institutional entrepreneurs and for policymakers to retain women talent in the supply chain management.

The research focuses on a specific supply chain management sector, which is the maritime sector. It also relies exclusively on interview data.

The authors propose recommendations to develop a work-family balance logic and retain talented women in the supply chain industry based on monitoring equality and supporting their need for a work-family balance, both in the short and long terms.

The authors interviewed women executives in one of the most male dominated sectors. The authors studied their ability to cope with work-family conflicts and identified four ways to create a work-family balance logic. These findings enabled us to show the contribution and limits of women executives as institutional entrepreneurs for work family balance logics in male dominated sectors.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the part that gender roles play in fathers’ work-family experiences. The authors compared two models (gender role as a correlate and as a moderator) and hypothesized that gender role beliefs play an important factor related to fathers’ experiences of work-family conflict.

Participants completed an online survey that consisted of questions related to work and family experiences. The final sample consisted of 264 employed, married fathers.

Results showed a relationship between traditional gender role beliefs and number of hours spent at work and at home. Additionally, number of work hours was related to time-based work-to-family conflict, but not strain-based work-to-family conflict. The results supported the expectation that work hours mediate the relationship between a father's traditional gender role beliefs and time-based work-to-family conflict.

Limitations of this study include the use cross-sectional and self-report data. Future research might want to expand the theoretical model to be more inclusive of fathers of more diverse demographic backgrounds, and assess the model with a longitudinal design.

A key theoretical implication gleaned from the study is that work-family researchers should include the socially constructed variable of gender roles in their work-family research. Findings provide support for the contention that organizations need to ensure that mothers’ and fathers’ unique needs are being met through family-friendly programs. The authors provide suggestions for specific workplace strategies.

This is one of the first studies that focussed on fathers’ experiences of the work-family interface. The results clarify that traditional gender role beliefs give rise to fathers’ gendered behaviors and ultimately work-family conflict.