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This study explored the psychometric properties of the Orientation Toward Domestic Labor Questionnaire (ODL-Q) with a sample of 622 dual-earner wives. Adequate internal consistency reliability was obtained for most of the constructs in the ODL-Q. In addition, construct validity for the ODL-Q was provided with multiple regression and discriminant analyses of the constructs' relationships to wives' sense of fairness about family work. The ODL-Q scales accounted for 57% of the variance in wives' sense of fairness. Effective communication about domestic labor (expressions of appreciation, sympathetic listening, mutual decision making) was by far the most powerful predictor and discriminator of fairness. Further validity was demonstrated in a cluster analysis identifying 3 groups of dual-earner wives suggested by A. Hochschild's (1989) qualitative study of family work. Implications for the construction of gender through domestic labor are discussed. Family researchers recently have been puzzled by consistent empirical findings that although dual-earner wives do two to three times the amount of domestic work their husbands do, less than one third of wives report the division of daily family work as unfair (

The problem and the solution. Work-family scholarly research is often dominated by a conflict perspective. In this study, employees of a large multinational corporation were asked to describe the positive influences of their work life on their home life and vice versa. Participants most frequently mentioned work place flexibility, financial benefits, and the ability to keep family commitments as important components of work-to-home facilitation. Supportive family relationships, psychological benefits of home, and psychological aspects of work were most frequently identified as important components of family-to-work facilitation. Implications for human resource development professionals are discussed as well as suggestions for future work-family facilitation theory and research.

This study explored how older workers (age 55?) differed from middle-aged (ages 35-54) and young workers (\35 years) in their experience of the work-family interface. Data came from a subset of a survey conducted by a multi-national corporation in 79 countries (N = 41,813, n = 2,700). Older workers reported significantly less workto-family and family-to-work conflict and greater workfamily fit, life success, and work success than middle-aged and young workers. They reported significantly greater job flexibility and job satisfaction but were significantly less likely to be aware of and use work-family programs than young workers. Older men reported significantly less awareness and use of work-life programs and less familyto-work conflict than older women. Implications of this research are presented.