Every day, families make decisions that may ultimately shape the entire nation. More often today, the time-honored picture of the typical family is out of focus. Mothers seek new ways to return to the workforce, children are given the responsibility to stay home alone after school, or men leave traditional managerial jobs to accept the role of caregiver. Although none of these challenges are new and the conventional nuclear family is long past, thanks to the increasing accessibility of technology, their parameters are changed by what is being called "the new economy." While some of the adjustments families are making seem radical enough to warrant front-page coverage, many are almost imperceptible. However, every alteration makes it more important to provide today's families with information that helps them to understand and manage the impact of societal shifts in their lives and to aid in their ability to support themselves and the community at large.

"New Work, New Families: America's Juggling Act" will air each Thursday on WKSU's Morning Edition and All Things Considered beginning Dec. 7 and concluding on March 22, 2001. A comprehensive, hour-long documentary exploring the issue of families and the changing workplace will also air on WKSU in April. Morning Edition is broadcast on WKSU Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. All Things Considered is heard Monday through Friday beginning at 4 p.m.

Below you will find an on-going schedule of topics covered in the "New Work, New Families" series. Be sure to check back here often to find the new posting for the week.

Moms Who Mean Business: Part One -- New technology, good economic times, and societal change have created a new kind of "stay-at-home mom". Many women are choosing to stay home with their children without sacrificing their careers, by operating home-based businesses...

Moms Who Mean Business: Part Two -- The trend of mothers choosing to continue their professional lives while staying at home with their children is advancing thanks to progressive employers who are offering alternative work arrangements. Many of these employers are home-based working mothers, themselves...

Senior Workers -- America is aging and so is it's workforce. In the next decade the largest age group in America will be those people between 55 and 64 years old...

Money Doesn't Matter: Author and Farmer Gene Logsdon on Enjoying Life -- While many people find their lives getting busier with work and family responsibilities, others have decided to simplify...

Family Farms -- Family Farms declined during the 1980s...but across the nation and here in Ohio the numbers have started to stabilize. In Lorain County, third generation dairy farmer Dave Conrad and his brother maintain a 300 cow herd...

TREPS: The Young Titans of the New Economy -- Americans under age 30 are creating new businesses at a faster rate than any previous generation . We've all heard about the 19 year old college dropout who started Napster, but he's just one of a whole new breed of young entrepreneurs capitalizing on the technological revolution and the booming global economy...

Overtime -- Americans work more hours a year than any country but the Japanese. But the workload in the United States is rising while Japan's is falling...

Welfare Reformed? -- When the State and Federal Governments approved welfare reform a few years ago, it upset advocates for the poor. They were concerned Ohio would cut families off of cash assistance and leave them destitute...

Stay At Home Dads -- The changing American workplace has led to some role-reversal in millions of households across the country...

Daycare Debate -- More families than ever before have both spouses working. And that leaves a growing number of children being raised in daycare centers...

Working More/Sleeping Less -- The lack of awareness of the impact of sleep deprivation is a national health emergency according to the National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research...

Worklife Benefits -- A generation ago, jobs in America were based on more than a day's pay for a day's work. Employees also gave companies their loyalty in return for job security, identity, steady raises and promotions. But the decline of the manufacturing economy has killed that old understanding...

Who Is The Middle Class? -- When democratic leaders in congress criticized President Bush's tax cut proposal, they argued that the tax cuts were deeply unfair to the middle class. But who is the middle class?...

The Troubles of Merging Ohio and Family Services -- Ohio combined two state departments last year to be more efficient. But the merger of the Bureau of Employment Services and the Department of Human Services has been wracked by scandal, poor decision-making, and partisan politics...

Educating Kids For Future Jobs -- Today's students will need more than just a mastery of computers for the jobs of the future, and some people believe a different approach to teaching is necessary...

No Kidding -- The U.S. Census Bureau indicates that one in six women will probably never have a child, but those numbers are not translating into societal acceptance for married couples without children...