People's
work and family experiences can be manifest in visible symbolic forms, from
displaying family photos at the office, to writing doctor appointments next to
business meetings on a calendar. Viewing a calendar with both work and family
notes and appointments contained therein is, on the surface, a superficial
exercise. But examining this artifact in terms of how it represents social
identities and processes can reveal that even the most mundane objects and
activities (e.g., writing appointments on a calendar) can symbolize larger
social phenomena. Social actors’ use of space, objects, time, activities, and
associates (Nippert-Eng 1996), when examined sociologically, contain meanings
that signify work and family experiences and identities. Understanding the
artifacts and practices of people can help us grasp the complexity and meaning
of the boundary between work and family life. The normative practices used to
negotiate and manage the tasks of everyday life are part of the process of
work-family negotiation. Representations of this negotiation via common
objects, physical space, use of time, daily activities, and work-family
associates are the focus of this study. For the remainder of this paper, these
representations are referred to as symbolic work-family integration,
specifically because they are mundane things that, once analyzed
systematically,meaningfully symbolize important social identities and
experiences for the individuals who use them in their worked.
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