Taft Lecture Examines Work, Family Conflict

Professor Jennifer Glass, a sociologist at University of Iowa, will present “All Fall Down: The Causes and Consequences of Below-Replacement Fertility in the Developed World” in a Taft Lecture sponsored by UC’s Department of Sociology.

Date: Friday, April 11, 2003, 3 p.m., 527 Old Chem

Summary: The twin questions of how to organize love and work have dominated social thought since the dawning of industrialization.  Despite various welfare state schemes and stop-gap solutions, the fundamental incompatibility between wage labor and family caregiving has never been satisfactorily resolved. Professor Glass argues that this conflict has dramatic implications for both the welfare of children and the ability of western democracies to flourish. In her talk, Professor Glass will show how many contemporary social problems are but the interrelated results of a system in which adults are increasingly insecure if they spend their time caring for others rather than working for a wage.

Bio: An expert on the work and family intersection, Glass has published more than 20 studies on this subject in seminal journals in sociology, including American Journal of Sociology, Social Forces, Journal of Marriage and the Family, Work and Occupations, and Social Psychology Quarterly.  Her research has also been cited in such national publications as Working Women, Working Mother Magazine, theWall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune and the L.A. Times. 

Information: Sarah Beth Estes, (513) 556-4707