Work Family Balance and Shared Parenting

One of Dr. Sasso’s areas of interest is in empowering families to divide childcare and other family tasks in ways that maximize the satisfaction of family members, result in the least conflict, utilize partners’ strengths and weaknesses, and provide children the best chance for contact with all caregivers. In our culture, it can feel as if work permeates all other facets of our lives. We feel overworked, overburdened, and overwhelmed. For parents, especially, finding work-life balance can feel impossible. Dr. Sasso strives to assist her patients in carving out that balance.

Dr. Sasso conducted her dissertation research on the positive benefits when childcare is divided based on criteria other than gender. Unfortunately, due to institutional and political barriers, sharing parenting or other household tasks can be a difficult endeavor. Many of our work structures are not set up to allow us to do so. Often there are gendered policies at work and at the state and federal level that provide incentives not to share parenting. These barriers most often lead to fathers losing out on being involved in childcare, although not always.

Dr. Sasso has conducted research into the benefits of and barriers to shared parenting. She participates as an Integrated Life Advocated for ThirdPath Institute, a non-profit agency working to train community leaders to address barriers to shared parenting and work-life balance in general at both family and institutional levels. Dr. Sasso works with couples and families to build creative and empowered work and family structures that allow for all family members to thrive.