The Family-Work Dilemma家庭與工作難兩全

麗塔·蘭迪諾

More women than ever are establishing successful work lives. Yet women today， especially educated women， confront conflicting expectations at home and at the office. How does a woman remain focused on her career and， at the same time， tackle multiple roles on the domestic front1？ This conflict can lead some women to doubt their own abilities both as workers and as family members. One woman may believe that， if only she were better organized， she would not feel so overwhelmed. Another may do without sleep to ensure that her family responsibilities are fulfilled before the start of another workday. Yet， the challenge these women face can be best understood within the larger context of social， political， and economic forces in the United States today. The working mother is now the norm in this country， yet most work settings lack the flexibility necessary to accommodate the complexity and spontaneity of family life.

Young women still in school or just beginning their careers believe that they have the same opportunities as men their age to succeed in their chosen careers. At the same time， college-educated women tend to be interested in acquiring prized jobs and in advancing through the promotional ranks. Unfortunately， the career-building years overlap with the childbearing years， and women are still the primary caretakers of children （not to mention elderly parents）. The woman whose definition of success includes being both a mother and career woman needs to decide her priorities early in her career and marriage.

No woman is immune from having to make these choices， as has become evident from recent news stories. Even highly-paid executives with the means2 to secure quality child care have chosen to relinquish their prized CEO positions because they felt that their demanding jobs were jeopardizing their family life. All the resources at a womans disposal3 do not compensate for the missed parent conferences， concerts， birthday parties， or soccer games. How do working women mesh their work and family roles over the course of their lives？

For the individual woman， the resolution of this conflict is a private， personal choice. In the U.S.， family has always been considered a private world， a refuge from public life， free from politics and governmental intervention. Politicians may proclaim support for “family values，” yet governmental policy may serve instead to limit the options available to a woman and her family. It is within this ambivalent social and political environment that women today are building their careers and families.

One governmental initiative that does offer workplace support for families is the Family and Medical Leave Act of 19934， an attempt to preserve family integrity while protecting a persons job security. This act guarantees a worker up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave for childbirth， adoption， or family illness and guarantees that a job comparable to the one previously held will be waiting upon the workers return. This act applies to both men and women， yet women are its main beneficiaries5.

Another bright light on the work landscape is the current U.S. economy， which presents an array of opportunities for skilled workers. In this environment， women with young children are able to devise creative solutions to the family-work dilemma because their supervisors wish to accommodate their needs for fear that they will leave the work site completely.

For many women， the best strategy is part-time work， a temporary state until the children are in school. Another strategy， especially for working-class women， is shift work， which ensures that one parent is home for extended periods of time. Another alternative is scaling back to a less competitive occupation， one that does not spill over into6 family life. Recently， when my sons pediatrician became pregnant with her second child， she gave up her practice to work as a medical administrator.

What Pleck7 said in 1977 still applies： mens work spills over into their family life， womens family obligations spill over into their work. What women need from the work setting is more time and flexibility. Part-time work is so appealing because it offers both flexibility and time， but at the expense of benefits and job advancement. Part-time work can be even beneficial for older women—and men—with elderly parents in need of care. The fact that more women will be entering the work force in the future gives me hope that the structure of work will inevitably change to accommodate family needs. As the workforce of women grows， their sheer numbers will force the issue of their needs being addressed.

如今，成功開啟職場生活的女性比以往任何時候都多。然而當今女性，特別是知識女性，常常面臨工作需要和家庭責任之間的沖突。女性怎樣在專注事業的同時應對在家庭生活中的多重角色？這一沖突可能導致一些女性質疑自己處理工作和家事的能力。有的或許會認為，假如自己更加高效有序，就不至于這么手忙腳亂了;還有的或許會徹夜忙碌，確保在又一個工作日到來前完成當天的家務活兒。不過，把這些女性面臨的挑戰放到當前美國社會、政治、經濟的大背景下，就很好理解了。在美國，職場媽媽已然是一種常態，但大多數工作環境依然缺乏必要的彈性為自發問題繁雜的家庭生活提供便利。

在尚未畢業或初入職場的年輕女性看來，她們和同齡男性享有均等的機會去成就一番事業。與此同時，受過大學教育的女性往往更愿意進入重要崗位，并希望步步晉升。可惜，為事業奮斗之時正逢生育的年紀，而且女性仍然是育兒的主力（更別提照顧年邁的父母了）。如果一位女性認為，事業孩子兩不誤才算成功，那她需要在事業和婚姻初期就決定自己要將重心放在哪里。

近來的新聞報道已清楚表明，每位女性都不得不面臨這樣的抉擇。即使是有財力負擔優質育兒服務的高薪女高管，也選擇了舍棄寶貴的CEO職位，因為她們覺得費時費力的工作會危及家庭生活。職場成功帶來的種種優渥條件并不能彌補錯過那些家長會、音樂會、生日派對或足球比賽所帶來的缺憾。漫漫人生，職場女性應該如何平衡工作與家庭？

對女性個體而言，怎樣解決這一沖突是一種個人選擇。在美國，家庭向來被視為私人領地，它是遠離公共生活的避難所，不受政治影響和政府干預。政客們也許會高聲支持 “家庭價值”，但政府的政策卻可能會限制女性及其家庭的選擇。今日女性正是在這樣一種矛盾的社會政治環境中一邊打拼事業、一邊操持家庭。

有一項政策的確為家庭提供了來自職場的支持，那就是1993年通過的《家庭與醫療休假法案》。該法案旨在保障個人工作穩定的同時維護家庭完整。根據該法案，員工可因生育、領養子女或照顧家中病患享受至多12周的無薪休假，單位須保證為返崗員工安排與離崗前相當的崗位。該法案同樣適用于男性，但女性是其主要受益者。

職場的另一個利好消息是，當前美國經濟為有工作經驗的勞動者提供了大量就業機會。這種環境下，主管會愿意去體諒女員工的難處，以免她們不再回來上班，所以子女年幼的女性可以另辟蹊徑走出家庭與工作的兩難困境。

對很多女性而言，最好的辦法是在子女入學前做兼職工作。還有一個辦法尤其適合女性工人，就是找一份輪班制工作，這能保證父母有一方可以長時間待在家中。另一個方案是降低要求，換一份競爭不那么激烈、不會干擾家庭生活的工作。前不久，我兒子的醫生懷上了第二個寶寶，于是她放棄了給人看病，轉去做了醫療行政工作。

普萊克1977年所說的話今天依然成立：男人會為工作影響家庭，女人會為家庭影響工作。女性需要工作時間更具彈性，工作方式更靈活。兼職工作的強大誘惑就在于它二者兼具，但要以犧牲福利和晉升機會為代價。有老人需照料的中年女性——及男性——從事兼職工作可能獲益更大。未來會有更多女性加入勞動力大軍，所以我相信，工作結構終究會調整以顧及家庭的需求。隨著女性勞動力的增多，這一群體的龐大數量也會促使其需求得到滿足。

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者;譯者單位：天津鐵道職業技術學院）