Looking to the Future of Work and Family Theory and Research: Some Reflections

Abstract

Maureen Perry-Jenkins and Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth (2017) have provided a thought-provoking review of some of the topics and theoretical themes that have inspired researchers in the area of work and family research from the start of the 21st century. They had the interesting idea of presenting an overview of nominations for the Kanter Award since the year 2000, seen through a specific theoretical lens—the ecological perspective. I should state from the outset that, belonging to a different disciplinary context, I am not overly familiar with the ecological perspective. What follows is a series of reflections, from the perspective of a European sociologist, that relate in direct or less direct ways to the arguments presented in the final section of the article, “Looking to the Future of Work and Family Theory and Research.” I say more below, however, about our disciplinary differences, because it seems to me that there may be some interesting interdisciplinary connections between approaches that I am more familiar with and the perspective taken by the authors.