In this episode, Holly Milburn-Smith sits down with Dr. Christine Beckman to discuss her new book, Dreams of the Overworked: Living, Working, and Parenting in the Digital Age. They also talk about value of caregiving, the economic cost of parenting, and consider policy tools to support working parents.

Working parents are bone-tired. That much is clear with two Southern California professors’ well-documented tour of our triple-crown quest to be the “Ideal Worker,” the “Perfect Parent” and the “Ultimate Body.”

Ideal, Perfect, Ultimate: What Drives Parents to Seek the Unattainable?

Working parents toggle constantly among competing commitments, but many don’t want to do less; they want to do it all, better.

“You’ve Been Set Up to Fail”: What Modern Parents Face is Nearly Impossible

Conversation with Christine Beckman: Modern parenting is hard enough. The expectations society sets for them make it nearly impossible to succeed.

It's no secret that parents are stressed out.

The fortunate ones are working remotely from home, trying to balance the needs of their jobs and their children being home 24/7. They are also facing the prospect that there will be limited or no in-person school again in the fall.

What America Asks of Working Parents Is Impossible

More and more, the goals of being a dedicated employee and being a dedicated parent seem to be in conflict.

JOE PINSKER

“Do you live in a world where work is endless, family is all consuming, and exhaustion is the norm? You are not alone.” - Christine Beckman

Work, family and digital lives.

A new perspective on technology and the realities of work-life balance.