Work and Family Research and Theory: Review and Analysis From an Ecological Perspective

Abstract

This invited review examines major trends and developments in the work and family field from an ecological perspective. We examine how research has developed over the past several decades with attention to the ways in which dominant theories and empirical findings, couched in specific historical and social eras, have moved the field forward and addressed important questions, while also raising many more. We first examine theoretical paradigms and empirical work on the topic of work and family across the decades spanning from the 1960s to 2000. We then pay significant attention to the major theoretical and empirical foci of the 21st century based on an analysis of more than 300 of the top-rated work–family articles in the field. We close with a proposal for fruitful directions for future research and theory in the work and family field.