Leslie I. Boden ^1*

¹ Boston University School of Public Health

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: lboden{at}bu.edu.

	Abstract

Over the past five 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 cases of family health problems, including work-related injuries and illnesses. This article brings together 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 paid work, school, and their own household work to fill in for the injured parent. This suggests the importance of policies to help today's time-strapped families cope with major family health events.

Key Words: Disability, Gender, Health Policy, Occupational Health, Socioeconomic Factors