EXPRESS: No family left behind: Flexibility i-deals for employees with stigmatized family identities

2021 ◽  
pp. 001872672199970
Author(s):  
Smriti Anand ◽  
Arjun Mitra

Most contemporary employers offer some policies to facilitate work-family (WF) balance for their employees. However, do the policies designed to help everyone suffice for unique employees with stigmatized social identities and non-traditional family structures? We conceptualize stigmatized family identity (SFI) to provide key insights on distinct WF issues experienced by such employees, and potential solutions in the form of person-specific work arrangements called idiosyncratic deals (i-deals). First, we define the construct of SFI, and exemplify its different types arising from the intersection of sexual orientation/gender identity/race and a non-traditional family structure. Second, we integrate literatures on WF and stigma to theorize the broad spectrum of WF issues and ensuing effects on job outcomes of employees with SFIs. Finally, we advance theory by developing a multi-level framework highlighting the importance of flexibility i-deals for employees with SFIs. Our framework identifies boundary conditions at individual, team, and organizational levels that can encourage (or deter) such employees from seeking i-deals. In doing so, we also explore the importance of privilege when it comes to SFI employees seeking i-deals.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-29
Author(s):  
N.C. Verhoef ◽  
M. De Ruiter ◽  
R.J. Blomme ◽  
E.C. Curfs

Abstract Scholars often examine the effect of generic job demands and resources on burnout, yet to increase ecological validity, it is important to examine the effects of occupation-specific characteristics. An extended version of the job demands-resources model with work−home interference as a mediator is examined among a cross-sectional sample of 178 general practitioners (GPs). Interviews with GPs were used to develop questions on occupation-specific work characteristics. Hypotheses were tested in MEDIATE. Both generic and occupation-specific job demands positively affected emotional exhaustion, while only occupation-specific job demands affected depersonalization. Only strain-based work−family interference mediated the relationship between generic and occupation-specific job demands, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. This study offers an important extension of the job demands-resources model by including occupation-specific job characteristics. This broader perspective can aid in more targeted job design to reduce burnout among GPs.


2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 369-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Sclafani

AbstractThis study investigates the construction of political identity in the 2011–2012 US Republican presidential primary debates. Focusing on candidates’ self-introductions, I analyze how candidates use references to family members and roles to frame their political identities or ‘presidential selves’. Family references are shown to (i) frame candidates’ personal identities as family men/women; (ii) interweave the spheres of home and politics and consequently, their private and public selves; (iii) serve as a tool of discursive one-upmanship in self-introduction sequences; and (iv) demonstrate intimate familiarity and expertise on the topic of national security. This study extends research on family discourse and identity by examining the rhetorical function of mentioning family-related identities in explicitly persuasive public discourse, and contributes to sociolinguistic research on political discourse by examining how family identities serve as a resource for framing political identities. (Discourse analysis, framing, family, identity, political discourse, presidential debates, sequentiality)


Sexualities ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 136346072110374
Author(s):  
Cornelia Schadler

An analysis of parents that are a part of polyamorous networks—networks of three, four, or even more residential or highly available parents—shows three types of parenting practices: poly-nuclear, hierarchical, and egalitarian parenting. Especially, the hierarchical and egalitarian parenting practices show novel divisions of care work and a transgression of gender norms. However, in-depth new materialist analysis of qualitative interviews also shows how parents are, in specific situations, pushed toward standard family models and thus unintentionally maintain traditional family structures and gender roles.


Author(s):  
Phil Lord

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the existing transition to remote work and, more broadly, flexible forms of work. Much energy and attention have been dedicated to analysing this transition and how governments and other actors can best respond to it. This chapter takes a step back and analyses the potential impacts of the transition to remote work on our individual and collective identities. Recognising that work is an important part of who we are and has historically been a microcosm and a catalyst of broader social change, this chapter analyses how remote work challenges gender roles, contemporary family structures, and our conceptualisation of the relationship between work and other commitments. The chapter admittedly offers more questions than it does answers. It complexifies our understanding of remote work and seeks to spark future discussions as to its consequences.


2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 505-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongyan Yu ◽  
Ann Veeck ◽  
Fang (Grace) Yu

Purpose – This study aims to, with family structures in urban China becoming increasingly diverse, examine how and to what extent the characteristics of everyday family meals relate to the establishment and strengthening of a collective sense of the Chinese family. Integrating ritual and family identity theories developed through studies conducted in the West, the research explores the relationship between family identity and the major dimensions that characterize ritualistic practices through an examination of family dinners in a non-Western context. Design/methodology/approach – The mixed-method approach combines a qualitative phase (focus groups and interviews) with a large-scale survey of households (n = 1,319) in four Chinese cities. Findings – The results find a positive relationship between family identity and commitment to family meals, as well as continuity promoted through family meals, at a 99 per cent confidence level. Research limitations/implications – One important research limitation is that the sample was limited to four cities. In addition, it is difficult for quantitative measures to capture the richness of emotionally and symbolically laden constructs, such as communication, commitment, continuity and family identity. Practical implications – The results provide insights into the meanings of family meals in China. With over one-third of household expenditures spent on food in Chinese cities, the formulation of brand positions and promotions can be informed through a greater understanding of the influence of family dynamics on food consumption. Social implications – The findings indicate that, within China’s dynamic environment of changing family values, strengthening the ritualistic characteristics of everyday family activities, such as family meals, can lead to an increase in a collective sense of family. Originality/value – The study demonstrates under what conditions, within this rapidly changing socioeconomic environment, the family dinner provides stability and a sense of unity for Chinese families. In China, a trend toward individualization is accompanied by a deep-seeded sense of obligation toward family that exerts an important influence on meal composition and patterns.


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