Baby Bust
New Choices for Men and Women in Work and Family
by Stewart D. Friedman
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Pub Date Oct 15 2013 | Archive Date Dec 08 2013
Description
Lean in. Opt out. Have it all. None of the above.
A new book based on a groundbreaking cross-generational study reveals both greater freedom and new constraints for men and women in their work and family lives.
Stew Friedman, founding director of The Wharton School’s Work/Life Integration Project, studied two generations of Wharton college students as they graduated: Gen Xers in 1992 and Millennials in 2012. The cross-generational study produced a stark discovery – the rate of graduates who plan to have children has dropped by nearly half over the past 20 years. At the same time, men and women are now more aligned in their attitudes about dual-career relationships, and they are opting out of parenthood in equal proportions. But their reasons for doing so are quite different.
In his new book, Baby Bust: New Choices for Men and Women in Work and Family, Friedman draws on this unique research to explain why so many young people are not planning to become parents. He reveals good news, that there is a greater freedom of choice now, and bad, that new constraints are limiting people’s options. In light of these present realities, he offers ideas for what we can do as a society, in our organizations, and for ourselves to make it easier for men and women to choose the lives they want.
In this book, Friedman addresses:
--How views about work and family have changed in the past 20 years
--Why men and women have different reasons for opting out of parenthood
--How family has been redefined
--Why we are all now part of a revolution in work and family
--What choices we face in our social and educational policy
--How organizations and individuals – especially men – can spur cultural change
In the debates on work and family, people of all generations are calling for a reasoned, thoughtful, research-driven contribution to the discussion. In Baby Bust, Friedman offers just that: an astute assessment of how far we have come and where we need to go from here.
Advance Praise
“What a wonderful book. Stew Friedman stands out as one of the few male voices in the
field. He understands better than anyone else how leadership, life, and
business can fit together. Baby Bust offers a fascinating glimpse into
how young people think about their work, their families, and their futures.
It’s a succinct and invaluable read
for managers, politicians, and all men and women seeking to better understand
how the world is changing and to support greater freedom of choice.”
—Anne-Marie Slaughter, President and CEO, New
America Foundation
“Provocative and practical, Stew Friedman’s Baby Bust draws on his landmark study to
document the metamorphosis in men’s and women’s views and expectations for work
and family. As more women are leaning in to their careers, more men today want
to be actively engaged in fatherhood. But both see conflicts between work and
family life that are increasingly keeping them from choosing to be parents.
Revelatory and rigorous, this urgent call to action is required reading for
anyone who wants both men and women to be able to choose the world they want to
live in.”
—John Gerzema, Author, The
Athena Doctrine: How Women (and the Men Who Think Like Them) Will Rule the
Future
“Stew Friedman has always been a trailblazer, and he has
done it again! The provocative finding that 2012 graduates of Wharton are much
less likely to plan to have children than those 20 years ago will receive a
great deal of attention. More importantly, Friedman has probed the complex
reasons why, and these are even more significant and telling. A must-read for
everyone—employees, employers, and families—so that we can be much more
intentional in creating the workplaces and family lives of the future.”
—Ellen
Galinsky, President, Families and Work Institute, and Author, Mind in the Making
“Stew Friedman’s unique cross-generational study
finds both a triumphant new freedom for men
and women and, at the same time, an
indication of the deep conflicts between what we
value and the lives to which we aspire. Baby Bust is a
game-changing addition to the literature on work and family. Stew clearly
and compassionately tells the story from the perspective of both men and women,
echoing the challenges we all face as we seek to do meaningful work and have a
meaningful life in today’s frenetic and tumultuous world.”
—Brad Harrington,
Executive Director, Boston College Center for Work and Family
“Important
data and fascinating insights about the revolution we are experiencing in work
and family. A must-read for anyone seeking to better understand how the world
is changing and what new models will require.”
—Leslie A.
Perlow, Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership, Harvard Business School,
and Author, Sleeping with Your Smartphone: How to Break the 24/7 Habit and
Change the Way You Work
“Stew Friedman’s Baby Bust is a wake-up call
for business. The lack of strong business and public support for the positive
enactment of caregiving, breadwinning, and career advancement has redefined
what employees see as possible in their lives. The future economic health
and well-being of the U.S. may be at risk. This eye-opening study raises
the critical questions and provides practical ideas for change.”
—Dr. Ellen
Ernst Kossek, Basil S. Turner Professor of Management, Purdue University,
Krannert School of Management and President
of the Work and Family Researchers Network
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781613630334 |
| PRICE | $9.99 (USD) |
