Saroj Parasuraman's book, Integrating Work and Family: Challenges and Choices for a Changing World, examines the modern conflict between work and family from a number of perspectives. The author delves into the specific types of work and family conflicts, and the impact that they have on a number of actors, and argues that these conflicts stem from changes in work and family during this century. Personally, Integrating Work and Family provided a new perspective on the responsibility for work/family conflict, and the potential damage that can arise from clinging to old stereotypes of the nuclear family. In Integrating Work and Family, Parasuraman attempts to examine the conflict between family and work from a variety of those impacted, including individuals, employers, consultants, and counselors.

The book notes that while there has been a great deal of discussion about family/work conflicts, such conflicts remain a serious problem. Writes Parasuraman, "The problem of balancing work and family arises from work-family conflict, which reflects a mutual incompatibility between the demands of work role and the demands of the family role" (p. 3-4).

Integrating Work and Family is made up of 21 chapters, and covers a wide range of topics. Parasuraman begins the book with a historic overview of the relationships between work and family, and discusses how this relationship has changed over time. The author then provides a number of different perspectives on the relationship between work and family, ranging from that of a person who struggles to maintain balance, to a counselor's perspective on managing tensions inherent in the conflict between work and family,...

An in-depth review of cultural and legal perspectives on work and family follows, including a look at work and family in India, and ways organizations can manage cultural diversity related to family issues. A number of initiatives to help solve the work-family issue are given in the context of career development, including telecommuting, the relationship between family, sex and career development, and flextime. In the future, Parasuraman sees a need for society to culturally change its perception of family ad work in order to effect important changes. The author notes that our society, as a community, shares the responsibility for managing family and work relationships.
There are a number of specific work/family conflicts. The most important form of conflict between work and family occurs in the form of time. When either family or work responsibilities make it difficult to participate in the other, then conflict arises. Forms of such conflict include work-role overload and schedule conflicts, notes Parasuraman. Further, interference between the two roles can be a form of conflict. This can occur when psychological strain generated by work or family manifests as irritability or fatigue that impact the other role. Further, another form of conflict arises when behaviors that are appropriate in one role are manifested inappropriately in another role. This can occur when the family roles of emotional sensitivity are expressed in appropriately at work.

Work-family conflict, notes Parasuraman, has a profound impact on employees, their families, employers, as well as larger society. Such conflict can…