Jennifer Reid Keene

The Job Costs of Family Demands Gender Differences in Negative Family-to-Work Spillover

This article uses the 1992 National Study of the Changing Workforce to examine family and workplace factors contributing to gender differences in negative family-to-work spillover. We focus on spillover as manifested when family demands negatively affect job performance. Among married workers, women were twice as likely as men to report that family demands negatively affect their job performance. This finding is due, in part, to the fact that women made more adjustments to their workloads—such as refusing overtime or turning down assignments—for the sake of family. Ordered probit analysis suggests that job characteristics are more salient than family factors for predicting the likelihood that family demands will detract from job performance and for explaining the gender gap in negative family-to-work spillover. Working in a demanding job or having little job autonomy was associated with more negative family-to-work spillover regardless of gender, while greater scheduling flexibility mitigated the gender gap.

Predictors of Perceived Work-Family Balance: Gender Difference or Gender Similarity?

This article uses the 1996 General Social Survey (GSS) and the 1992 National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW) to examine two issues: the relationship of work characteristics, family characteristics, and work-family spillover to perceptions of work-family balance; and models of “gender difference” versus “gender similarity.” The GSS analysis supports the gender similarity model. It demonstrates that work demands such as the number of hours worked per week and work spillover into family life are the most salient predictors of feelings of imbalance for both women and men. The NSCW includes subtler measures of family spillover into work as well as measures of specific job characteristics and child care. The NSCW results support a gender difference model. They indicate that when family demands reduce work quality, there is a decreased likelihood of perceived balance. However, men and women experience balance in gendered ways. Women report more balance when they give priority to family; men report less balance when they have no personal time for themselves due to work and more balance when they make scheduling changes due to family.

Poverty Among Cohabiting Gay and Lesbian, and Married and Cohabiting Heterosexual Families

Using a subsample ( N = 1,365,145) of the 2000 Census 5% Public Use Microdata Sample, the authors investigate explanations for differing poverty chances of cohabiting gay and lesbian, and married and cohabiting heterosexual families. Gay and lesbian couples fare worse than married couples, but better economically than cohabiting heterosexuals. Lesbian and gay families are older and more educated than cohabiting heterosexual families, and these differences explain the largest portion of differences in poverty rates. Greater educational attainment and labor force participation are better explanations than age for differences between married families and their gay and lesbian counterparts. These results add to recent research pointing to variations in the economic circumstances of different family forms.

THE SANDWICHED GENERATION: MULTIPLE CAREGIVING RESPONSIBILITIES AND THE MISMATCH BETWEEN ACTUAL AND PREFERRED WORK HOURS

We examine the intersection of the “Overworked American” and the “Sandwiched Generation.” Recent studies indicate that many U.S. workers would prefer to work shorter hours. For workers who are sandwiched between childcare and eldercare or who expect to be in the future, questions remain about work hour preferences. We use a representative sample and distinguish between currently sandwiched workers and those who expect to be in five years. The proportion of workers who are currently sandwiched has increased from 1992 to 2002. Further, workers who expect to be sandwiched are less likely to want to reduce their workweek hours than others.

Evaluation of hospice care by family members of Hispanic and non-Hispanic patients.

The Hispanic older adult population is increasing rapidly and past research suggests that this demographic group underutilizes hospice services, highlighting the need to improve our understanding of their needs in end of life. This study relied upon information from the family evaluation of hospice care survey provided by 2980 caregivers, 152 of whom cared for a Hispanic patient and 2828 who cared for a non-Hispanic patient. Caregivers of Hispanic patients were more likely to report that hospice was inconsistent with the patient’s wishes, and that they received more attention than desired for emotional issues. Caregivers of Hispanic patients were also more likely to express that emotional/spiritual forms of support were insufficient. Similar levels of satisfaction were reported for caregivers of Hispanics and non-Hispanics regarding dignity/respect, information received, care coordination, and overall satisfaction.

The Life Course and Cumulative Disadvantage: Poverty Among Grandmother-Headed Families

Using multivariate techniques, the authors investigate how age, family type, and race/ethnicity affect grandmother-headed families’ economic resources. The authors examine four grandmother-headed family types that are classified on the basis of two features: parents’ presence and the caregiving relationship of the grandmother and grandchild. Using data from the 2000 census (Public Use Microdata Sample 5%) to predict grandmother-headed families’ official and relative poverty statuses, analyses indicate that age, race/ethnicity, and family configuration are major explanations for poverty differences. The effects of race/ethnicity on official and relative poverty are greater among older cohorts than among the youngest cohorts. Additionally, the effects of age on poverty vary by family type: the lower chances of poverty that are associated with older cohorts are not as great among two-generation families as they are among three-generation grandmother-headed families. The authors interpret these findings using a life-course perspective and cumulative disadvantage theory and discuss the implications for grandmother-headed families’ economic security.

Family evaluation of hospice care: Examining direct and indirect associations with overall satisfaction and caregiver confidence

OBJECTIVE The Family Evaluation of Hospice Care (FEHC) survey is widely employed by hospices, and several studies have examined this information to help inform and enhance end-of-life services. However, these studies have largely focused on examining relatively straightforward associations between variables and have not tested larger models that could reveal more complex effects. The present study aimed to examine the direct and mediating (i.e., via information/education, patient care, and family support) effects of demographic factors, length of stay, timing of referral, patient symptom severity, location of services, and relationship to caregiver on two outcome variables: overall satisfaction and caregiver confidence. METHOD Surveys were collected from 3226 participants who had lost a loved one who received hospice services. Structural equation modeling was employed to examine the direct and mediating effects of the independent variables on the two outcomes of interest. RESULTS Participants reporting on racial minority patients, patients with more symptoms, and those referred too late or too early were the most likely to express some discontentment with hospice services. The information/education these individuals received was the only mediating factor significantly associated with caregiver confidence. More positive perceptions of patient care and information/education were both significantly related to greater overall satisfaction. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS These findings help to (1) pinpoint those most at risk for being less satisfied with hospice, (2) identify which aspects of care may be most strongly related to overall outcomes, and (3) provide a model for examining complex associations among FEHC variables that may be employed by other researchers.

Predictors of Adult Education Program Satisfaction in Urban Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Lifelong learning is receiving greater attention due to population aging in modern societies. Lifelong learning benefits individuals by supporting their physical, psychological, social, and economic well-being. However, older adults generally have lower motivation for learning than younger adults, and facilitating long-term participation in learning activities is still challenging. Previous studies mainly identified negative factors such as barriers and obstacles to individuals’ initial participation in lifelong learning programs. As such, less is known about positive factors that promote long-term participation. To address this gap, data were collected from 330 older adults who participated in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute program in an urban community in the United States. Results from proportional odds ordinal logistic regression analysis demonstrated that gender, number of household members, income, religious affiliation, self-rated health, and number of courses taken were associated with satisfaction with the program. In hopes to promote true lifelong learning, possible explanations about the findings are explored and several recommendations for existing lifelong learning programs are derived in this study.

The Effects of Age, Authority, and Gender on Perceptions of Statutory Rape Offenders

Using a sample of 2,838 students from a Southwestern university in the United States, the authors examine the effect of respondent’s gender, the adult’s gender, the age gap between the adult and teen, and the adult’s authority, on students’ perceptions of vignettes describing adult–teen sexual relationships. Specifically, the authors investigate four dependent variables related to perceptions of the crime: the adult offender’s emotional motivation, whether the adult is a sexual predator, whether the adult should have limited interactions with children, and whether the adult should be included on a sex offender registry. ANOVA analysis revealed that a large age gap between the adult and teen, the presence of authority in the relationship, and respondent’s gender were significant predictors of perceptions of the offender as a predator and sex offender. The offender’s gender significantly predicted respondents’ perceived motivations but had no effect on opinions regarding sex offender registration. The authors discuss the implications of these findings for perceptions of statutory rape.

Older Lifelong Learners’ Motivations for Participating in Formal Volunteer Activities in Urban Communities:

In recent years, volunteering has received increasing attention as a unique form of learning, one which may complement lifelong learning programs for older adults. This study examined the underlying volunteer motivations as well as formal volunteer behaviors among older adult lifelong learners. Data from 277 members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in an urban community in the western part of the United States were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and binary logistic regression models. Results showed that generativity (i.e., a desire to help next generations or communities), personal development, and well-being are salient underlying volunteer motivators. However, only generativity was associated with actual volunteering among older lifelong learners (odds ratio = 1.55; standard error = .17; p < .05). These findings suggested that existing lifelong learning programs might consider incorporating volunteer-based service learning components into their curricula in order to further promote the benefits of lifelong learning among older adults.