Annotated bibliography:

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Appelbaum, Eileen, and Ruth Milkman. "THE FIGHT FOR PAID FAMILY LEAVE AND THE FUTURE OF THE LABOR MOVEMENT." New Labor Forum (Sage Publications Inc.) 18, no. 3 (Fall2009 2009): 7. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File, EBSCOhost (accessed October 19, 2016).

This article explores the importance of labor movement today and how administration can make improvements for family leave, specifically under the Obama administration. Women, specifically women of color, are facing challenges in the workforce that could be fixed with improvements on how offices make work-life balance more accommodating to women. This article is helpful for my research because the Wiki article I’m revising is outdated and doesn’t have a section on gender. This article is peer-reviewed and was obtained from the Texas State University research database.

Donnelly, Kristin, et al. "Attitudes Toward Women’s Work and Family Roles in the United States, 1976–2013." Psychology Of Women Quarterly 40, no. 1 (March 2016): 41. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File, EBSCOhost (accessed October 19, 2016).

This article explores the changing views of women in the workforce in the United States from the 1970s-2010. The cultural shifts of accepted roles in the workforce are analyzed from a scope of social class, race, and  gender from a variety of veiwpoints while exploring historical milestones that have influenced the perception of women in the workforce. This article is relevant to my research as it explores the history of how work-life balance has influenced women’s abilities to participate in the workforce. This is a peer-reviewed article.

Greenfield, Carol, and Martha Terry. "WORK/LIFE: FROM A SET OF PROGRAMS TO A STRATEGIC WAY OF MANAGEMENT." Employment Relations Today (Wiley) 22, no. 3 (September 1995): 67. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File, EBSCOhost (accessed October 19, 2016).

This article provides insight on how organizations can strategize new approaches to work/life balance and creating more effective programs from a philosophical perspective. This article may be outdated slightly but is relevant to my research by providing a more theoretical structure to work/life balance. This is a peer-reviewed article.

Minnotte, Krista Lynn. "PERCEIVED DISCRIMINATION AND WORK-TO-LIFE CONFLICT AMONG WORKERS IN THE UNITED STATES." Sociological Quarterly 53, no. 2 (March 2012): 188-210. SocINDEX with Full Text, EBSCOhost(accessed October 19, 2016).

This article focusing on how management discourages work/life balance through promotions and hiring by being biased towards employees who use paid leave and other benefits that help manage work/life balance. This article is important for my research as it will help in fleshing out a section on gender bias or flaws in work/life balance in the United States. This is a peer reviewed article.

Vanore, Marla L. "Work Life Balance: Myth or Reality?." Journal Of Trauma Nursing 13, no. 4 (October 2006): 155. Supplemental Index, EBSCOhost(accessed October 19, 2016).

Article evaluation:

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The article “Work-life balance in the United States” has a solid base of information – relevant court cases, laws, and history of how our current work life has been shaped in the United States. Upon first reading it, I found myself faced with a lot of information I was unaware of before concerning labor laws, the history of the work week, and how our society has been shaped under the design of a work week.

A big issue I noticed about our article is a lack of very diverse, verified sources. I believe with access to a bigger database of information I can easily cite a lot of sources that will verify current information, create new knowledge, and take out any details of the article that my group can’t find reputable sources to back them up.

The organization of the article is fair. I believe with some more pictures – perhaps some graphics or art created during historical moments about labor laws could help the article look bonafied. Maybe organizing the “history” section into smaller parts based on chronological dates would make the wall of text look less ugly and give it better aesthetics.

I would like to try and have some additional sections of the article, possibly some more sociological implications to work-life balance in the united states. How are current practices/labor laws influencing our society on a psychological level? Are there any current groups of people who advocate specifically for a paradigm shift in work-life balance in the United States?

Gender and Work-Life

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A study conducted in 2009 concluded that 39% of working women and 45% of working men experience issues with work-life balance (Minotte).

Women became more prominent in the professional workforce during the 1970s even after getting married and having children (Donnelly). Mothers entering the workforce was a shift in traditional values for women and mothers, however in the 2010s, 70% of high school students surveyed believed that mothers could have a healthy relationship with their mother, as opposed to 53% in the 1970s (Donnelly).

Studies show the paid family leave and paid sick days are the issues women care about over any other work-life policy issue (Applebaum). In a poll conducted in November 2008, 35% of women felt that issues in work-life balance for women would be best addressed through paid family leave and sick days (Applebaum). Both genders actually feel that these concerns better address work-life balance with growing concerns of watching children, older family members, and ill family members (Applebaum). The United States is the only high-income country that does not guarantee the right to paid maternity leave (Applebaum).