Amid the hits to families' budgets lately, many people are taking an added blow to something they value almost as much: Control over their time.

Although most people are feeling too much pain in the pocketbook to talk about it, the economic downturn is forcing many to defer dreams of striking a better work-life balance. As past recessions have shown, downturns tend to quash such luxuries as cutting back to part-time work hours by choice, dropping out voluntarily for a while to stay home with the kids, or taking a sabbatical....