Running on empty: Families, time, and workplace injuries

Over the past 5 decades, more women have entered the labor force, and more households have been headed by single parents. Both trends have substantially reduced parents' free time, creating added strain in the event of family health problems, including work-related injuries and illnesses. This commentary presents evidence about the impact of occupational injuries on today's families. In addition to losing considerable income, injured parents are less able to do household work, and other family members are often called on to care for them. Family members cut back on their paid, school, and household work to fill in for the injured parent. This suggests the importance of policies to help today's timestrapped families cope with major family health events.