Why do you think your paper is highly cited?

The field of work-family scholarship has burgeoned in recent years and more than ever, families today face a myriad of challenges in balancing the stresses associated with work and family life. As a comprehensive review of the literature, this monograph provides "one-stop shopping" for academics and practitioners interested in understanding what we know about the intersection of work and family life.

 Does it describe a new discovery, methodology, or synthesis of knowledge?

Yes, this is the first comprehensive narrative review and content analysis of the work-family literature. While other reviews exist, they are more narrowly focused on a specific topic area (e.g., flexible work arrangements, work-family conflict). This monograph fills an important gap in the literature by integrating research findings associated with 190 published studies.

 Would you summarize the significance of your paper in layman's terms?

This publication discusses what we know about the positive and negative aspects of work and family life, and how the interplay between these two important life domains influence how people feel about their work, careers, and families.

 How did you become involved in this research and were any particular problems encountered along the way?

The breadth of information obtained from these 190 empirical studies was difficult to condense and synthesize.

 Where do you see your research leading in the future?

In the monograph we provide a critique of the existing work-family literature and suggest numerous ideas for future research on the topic. This agenda for future research is likely to influence the trajectory of research studies on the topic of work-family issues for some time to come.

 Do you foresee any social or political implications for your research?

Organizations are increasingly concerned about how to attract and retain the best talent. The cost of health care also continues to rise. Efforts to help employees effectively manage their work and family life is a major concern for many organizations. It can provide a competitive advantage in terms of human resource management and help deter the negative consequences of employee stress.

Lillian T. Eby, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
The University of Georgia
Athens, GA, USA
Principal Investigator
Project MERITS (Managing Effective Relationships in Treatment Services)
Associate Editor, Personnel Psychology
Fellow, Institute for Behavioral Research

KEYWORDS: LITERATURE REVIEW; WORK-FAMILY; WORK AND FAMILY; WORK AND NONWORK; GENDER.