Institute for Research on Labor and Employment

As family and work patterns have shifted over recent decades, the demand for time off from work to address family needs has grown rapidly. Women—and increasingly men as well—often find themselves caught between the competing pressures of paid work and family responsibilities, especially when they become parents, or when serious illness strikes a family member. “Work-family balance” has become an urgent but elusive priority for millions of Americans, driven by high labor force participation rates among mothers and the caregiving needs of an aging population.