This review takes a transdisciplinary approach to work–family (WF) research, offering new perspectives on different family forms in the context of employment. It focuses on lone‐parents and blended families, highlighting how management research on the WF interface has been constrained by traditional definitions of ‘family’, assuming intact couple relationships. The review shows that the WF experiences of lone‐parents and blended families differ significantly from those of traditional or nuclear families. Our findings demonstrate that blended and lone‐parent families struggle with conventional WF policies based on traditional family forms. These families face four main challenges: (1) complex residential arrangements and relationships with co‐parents; (2) managing (limited) resources; (3) navigating stigma; and (4) narrow cultural scripts defining family roles. Utilizing cross‐domain identity transition theory, we question the traditional ideas at the core of current WF theory. We demonstrate that non‐traditional families occupy a ‘liminal’ WF space due to their more fluid parental, occupational and household identities compared to traditional families. We urge employers and policy makers to recognize and address the distinct WF challenges faced by lone‐parents and blended families. Employers should develop flexible working policies that accommodate complex residential arrangements and provide resources to support lone and blended family structures. Policy makers should consider revising family leave policies to be more inclusive of diverse family forms. Future research should further explore the diverse experiences of employed parents, including those from LGBTQIA+ communities, using our framework, which encourages researchers to think differently regarding existing WF theories through the consideration of our four themes.

中文翻译：

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了解单亲家庭和混合家庭的阈限情况——工作-家庭研究的回顾和议程


本综述采用跨学科方法进行工作-家庭 （WF） 研究，为就业背景下的不同家庭形式提供了新的视角。它侧重于单亲父母和混合家庭，强调了 WF 界面的管理研究如何受到传统“家庭”定义的限制，假设夫妻关系完整。本综述表明，单亲家庭和混合家庭的 WF 经历与传统家庭或核心家庭的 WF 经历有很大不同。我们的研究结果表明，混合家庭和单亲家庭在基于传统家庭形式的传统 WF 政策中苦苦挣扎。这些家庭面临四个主要挑战：（1） 复杂的住宿安排和与共同父母的关系;（2） 管理（有限的）资源;（3） 驾驭耻辱;（4） 定义家庭角色的狭隘文化脚本。利用跨域身份转换理论，我们质疑当前 WF 理论核心的传统思想。我们证明，与传统家庭相比，非传统家庭占据了“阈限”WF 空间，因为他们的父母、职业和家庭身份更加流动。我们敦促雇主和政策制定者认识到并解决单亲父母和混合家庭面临的独特 WF 挑战。雇主应制定灵活的工作政策，以适应复杂的居住安排，并提供资源来支持单独和混合家庭结构。政策制定者应考虑修改家事假政策，使其更加包容不同的家庭形式。 未来的研究应使用我们的框架进一步探索就业父母的不同经历，包括来自 LGBTQIA+ 社区的父母，该框架鼓励研究人员通过考虑我们的四个主题来不同地思考现有的 WF 理论。