Temporary Loosening of Impossible Ideals: Deconstructed Boundaries and Norm Restructuring Around Work-Family Infrastructure Shock

Part of the Lubar Research Seminar Series

Speaker:  Keimei Sugiyama, University Wisconsin – Milwaukee

This study examines how working parents navigate the dismantling of work-family infrastructure during extreme circumstances, drawing on interviews with 76 working parents (including 18 couples) during the prevalence of remote work in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. We introduce the concept of work-family infrastructure shock (WFI shock) to explain what happens when the scaffolding that supports work-family management suddenly collapses. Our findings reveal that WFI shock creates a liminal experience in which working parents temporarily question and restructure deeply embedded work and family norms. This liminal period enables a shift from individual to more social approaches in boundary work, as working parents engage in co-constructing boundaries with others. Additionally, the loosening of ideal worker and parent norms allows working parents to experience temporary freedom from impossible standards. While some working parents retreat to the status quo due to fear and perceived risks, others leverage this period to reframe their work-family management through increased appreciation of others and enhanced resilience. Our study contributes to work-family literature by revealing how shock events can create opportunities to challenge traditional work-family ideals and demonstrates the importance of reconceptualizing work-family supports as critical infrastructure rather than optional benefits.