Fast-Forward Family: Home, Work, and Relationships in Middle-Class America

Called “the most unusually voyeuristic anthropology study ever conducted” by the New York Times, this groundbreaking book provides an unprecedented glimpse into modern-day American families. In a study by the UCLA Sloan Center on Everyday Lives and Families, researchers tracked the daily lives of 32 dualworker middle class Los Angeles families between 2001 and 2004. The results are startling, and enlightening. Fast-Forward Family shines light on a variety of issues that face American families: the differing stress levels among parents; the problem of excessive clutter in the American home; the importance (and decline) of the family meal; the vanishing boundaries that once separated work and home life; and the challenges for parents as they try to reconcile ideals regarding what it means to be a good parent, a good worker, and a good spouse. Though there are also moments of connection, affection, and care, it’s evident that life for 21st century working parents is frenetic, with extended work hours, children’s activities, chores, meals to prepare, errands to run, and bills to pay.

Elinor Ochs is Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and Applied Linguistics at UCLA and the author of Linguaggio e Cultura, co-author of Constructing Panic and Living Narrative, and co-editor of Handbook of Language Socialization. Her awards include the MacArhur Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship, and Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Tamar Kremer-Sadlik is Social Sciences Director of Programs and Director of Research for the Center on Everyday Lives of Families (CELF) at UCLA.