Barbara R. Rowe and Ramona K. Z. Heck with the
assistance of Alma J. Owen, Kathryn Stafford,
and Mary Winter

This chapter focuses on the "home" side of home-based work. Its intent is to
explore what was learned in the nine-state study about the households and
families in which home-based workers live. As noted researchers such as
Rosabeth Kanter ( 1977) and Ann Crouter ( 1984) have pointed out, on the whole,
studies of the work-family interface have concentrated on the influence of work
upon the family and rarely the reverse. The discussion that follows hopes to fill
in some of the informational gaps in how families influence work, especially
when it is home-based.

The chapter is organized as follows: first, general work-family literature is
reviewed. Then, an overview of the structure and composition of all households
in the sample is presented. Additional literature is reviewed as needed within
the remaining sections of the chapter. Next, an exploration of the effect of
children on home-based work and the use of child care services is examined.
Following these sections is a review of the different approaches to family
functioning, a discussion of the nature of family management, and the relation-
ship between family functioning and how the family manages. Finally, the
adjustment strategies used by homeworking households are presented.

Since the late 19th century, work has been seen as something one does for a
living, outside the home, an activity that rarely involves other family members.

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