Reconciliation of work and family life

Reconciliation of work and family life Anu Laas Unit of Gender Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences EQUAL Exchange Event: Holding a job – Having a life Tallinn, April 3-4, 2006

Introduction • EGGSIE experts and reports • Four dimensions of reconciliation policy • Childcare services • Leave facilities • Flexible working-time arrangements • Financial allowances for working parents • Discussion

EGGSIE experts • 2005-ongoing, Expert Group on Gender, Social Inclusion and Employment (EGGSIE) • In 1998 – 2004, Expert Group on Gender and Employment (EGGE) • European Work and Employment Research Centre (EWERC) • Manchester Business SchoolThe University of Manchester • director Dr Damian Grimshaw (MBS) • co-directors Professor Colette Fagan (SoSS) and Professor Jill Rubery (MBS)

EGGSIE experts as a network • annual programme of policy-oriented research and reports to the unit "Equality between men and women" • national and cross-national comparative 'synthesis' reports • DG for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal opportunities

Reconciliation of work and private life: a comparative review of thirty European countries. September 2005 Janneke Plantenga & Chantal Remery Utrecht School of Economics with the assistance of Petra Helming EU 25 + 5 (Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Bulgaria, Rumania)

Challenges The increasing labour market participation of women (Lisbon targets) Changing family forms Ageing population Low birth rates Policy approach by countries different Flexible working (time) arrangements Provision of services by public and private sector A more equal distribution of paid and unpaid work. Problem

Definition and focus • Reconciliation policies can be defined as policies that directly support the combination of professional, family and private life. • Childcare services, leave facilities, flexible working arrangements and other reconciliation policies such as financial allowances for working parents • An innovative element of the study - besides the focus is on national, public strategies attention to the sector or company level

Missing • Beside childcare other services • Beside parents other family/household members as caregivers • Analysis of services that meet the care needs of the elderly and of people with disabilities • A quality of services. Trust in services • Reputation of profession (babysitters, social workers etc)

Four dimensions of reconciliation policy • Childcare services • Leave facilities • Flexible working-time arrangements • Financial allowances for working parents

Childcare services Barcelona targets (2002): The provision of childcare by 2010 to … • at least 90 % of children between 3 years old and the mandatory school age and (reached in10 states) • at least 33 % of children under 3 years of age (reached in 6 states) Reached in Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, France, Sweden, Netherlands

Childcare influenced by the… • participation rate of parents (mothers) • levels of unemployment • the length of parental leave (work protected) • the opening hours of school • the availability of alternatives (grandparents and/or other informal arrangements)

Childcare as a social right • In three EU Member States (Finland, Denmark and Sweden) • In Iceland • In other countries, the supply of (high quality and affordable) childcare facilities may be insufficient

Childcare services Full responsibility or combined responsibility In Netherlands (only!) Financing is on a tripartite basis: • central government • the employer • and/or employee

Different aspects were studied • Availability – supply and demand/needs, public or private enterprise • Affordability – what is a price and who will pay • Acceptability - cultural norms (a ‘proper mother’ etc) • Flexibility – opening hours etc

Expectations to be brave and keep a balance

State expects from women and men… children taxes employees politicians and civil servants employers economic growth sustainable development

Modern babysitter - no pay, no taxes, but what will be the cost?

Grandparents in ‘wrong’ age …or missing, or need a care themselves…

Informal care – only trust…

Involvement of fathers and grandfathers

Take-up leave rates • Low rates reported in Ireland, Italy and the UK • Medium levels are reported in Spain, France and the Netherlands • Almost universal take-up in Czech Republic, Germany and Estonia. • Male take-up rates only exceed 10% in Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden, Iceland and Norway, often less than 2%

Firm involvement Types of work-family arrangements provided by firms • Flexible working arrangements • Leaves (incl leave for family reasons (also elderly) • Childcare arrangements (provision of services) • Supportive arrangements (mostly provision of training and information) Den Dulk, L. den (2001).Work-family arrangements in organisations. A cross-national study in the Netherlands, Italy, the United Kingdom and Sweden. Rozenberg Publishers.

Childcare and employers • Limited company involvement • Exceptions: large companies, banks and hospitals, large industrial undertakings (services in Greece, France, Luxembourg, Slovenia, and the UK) • In Spain, the private and public sector enterprises that employ at least 300 workers should provide childcare • Public sector enterprises in Ireland, the UK and Liechtenstein

Innovative working-time arrangements • In Belgium a career-break scheme has been introduced (the basic principle of the scheme is that every employee can stop working or can reduce his or her working time for a certain period of time) • In Luxembourg ‘saving hours’ (allow employees more individualised working schemes, for example longer leaves. • In Netherlands a life course scheme: a system of saving hours designed to help people combine various activities (such as work, education or care) • In France, ‘city times’ policies (to harmonise different time schedules within a geographical area on the basis of so-called ‘time offices’)

Conclusion based on report • Policies differ • Need for professional services (children under 2-3, elderly, disabled) • Parental leave does not always favour gender equality • Need to improve employers’ involvement • Arrangements’ costs should be paid collectively • Need to raise participation in the labour market and to stimulate population growth  an important issue the streamlining of work and family policies into one integrated system of care, education and leisure services.

Discussion

Positive side Boosted productivity Higher employee satisfaction Higher employer's reputation Negative impact on (women's) position in the workplace on economic independence Discussion: Flexible workingarrangements

Problems • Care services – not only for children • Only women are seen as ‘reconcilers’ • Tax incentives or taxation (‘punishment’) • Fringe benefit (erisoodustus) in Estonia (Income Tax Act, Article 48), direct cost + taxes about 75% • Social construction of poor, needy, disadvantaged… • Unequal treatment of different groups

Example from Estonian fiscal policy: Fringe benefits • Fringe benefits are any goods, services, and remuneration in kind or monetarily appraisable benefits which are given to a person in connection with an employment or service relationship, membership in the management or controlling body of a legal person, or a long-term contractual relationship, regardless of the time at which the fringe benefit is granted.

Care in home Daycares, playrooms, health centres etc Training of people in health and social services Assistants Low skilled The quality of these services Research on health and social sectors professions and work Price for professional service Affordability Responsibility - partnership Legal form of service provider (entrepreneur, Ltd Co, employee) Professional training + Business training (as Estonian family doctors) Recruitment of professional and assisting staff Professionalisation of services

Conclusion • One integrated system of care, education, leisure services • Assisted living solutions • Professionalisation and economy • Who could provide assisted living services in the home at a lower cost? • Cooperation of individual, state, municipality, third sector and companies • Decisions by competent people. Research • Core values in every country contribute to the European values and EU has impact to member state

Thank you! Anu Laas www.ut.ee/gender laas@ut.ee

Reconciliation of work and family life