Cultural perspective on work and family: Dual-earner Israeli Jewish and Arab families at the transition to parenthood.

Abstract

Parents' functioning in the work and family roles was examined in traditional and modern societies at the transition to parenthood. Participants were 162 dual-earner Israeli-Jewish and Arab families, who were interviewed and observed in dyadic and triadic interactions. Arab parents reported better adaptation to work following the first childbirth, and the triadic family process in Jewish families was more cohesive. Child care arrangements, part-time employment, easier infant temperament, and lower separation anxiety predicted maternal readaptation to work. Traditional sex-role attitudes, career centrality, full-time employment, and marital satisfaction predicted fathers' work adaptation. Parents' family focus, marital satisfaction, and responsive parenting correlated with a cohesive triadic process. Discussion considered the impact of nuclear- and extended-family living arrangements on the emerging work and family roles in young couples.