Working Parents: Challenged Employees, Challenged Health Promotion?

Abstract

This chapter examines whether parenthood is causally related to an individual’s health, specifically for the workers in the USA. Although society values employment and parenthood individually, there is widespread public concern that a combination of the two may be too much of a good thing, especially in the case of mothers of young children. Against this background, this chapter outlines a sociological framework for analyzing the health impact of parenthood. The hypothesis that children have a detrimental impact on employees’ health is derived. The exceedingly modest public and private policies for supporting working parents in the USA are described briefly and it is argued that neither are likely to mitigate the theoretical relationship. Some quantitative research has indeed shown a negative impact of parenthood. However, many studies have found no relationship or even positive impacts. Possible reasons for these apparent contradictions are discussed. Despite the unclear state of research, the following three clear recommendations are made. First, occupational health management should, for now, desist from introducing specific health promotion for employees with children. Second, public policy should expand existing measures to support working parents. Third, more rigorous research that utilizes more appropriate methods for causal analysis than have been implemented previously is needed in this field.