“THE BALANCE BETWEEN PROFESSIONAL AND PRIVATE-FAMILY LIFE AND HOW IT IS ACHIEVED”
SOROPTIMIST CLUB OF IOANNINA “DIONI”
Ioannina, March 19, 2007
“THE BALANCE BETWEEN PROFESSIONAL AND PRIVATE-FAMILY LIFE
AND HOW IS IT ACHIEVED.
Anna Karamanou ,
former MEP (Member of the European Parliament)
INTRODUCTION
Definition
Balancing professional and private life in today’s world is not an easy task. The issue concerns employees, governments, employers, labor unions, and is directly related to the economic and social development of the country. It is certainly connected with gender equality, with how unpaid work is distributed, with women’s professional employment, and with the demographic problem. In attempting to define today what constitutes balance between professional and personal life and where the boundaries are placed, we certainly contribute to the discussion that has been initiated and has intensified in recent years.
Balance between professional and personal/family life means that employees experience a satisfying life that combines paid work with other activities, such as unpaid household work, care and upbringing of children, participation in social or political events, meetings with friends, hobbies and sports, various recreational and personal development activities. Of course, the sense of balance varies from person to person. The formula is not simple. The sense of balance is connected to the feeling of control over our lives, the choices and possibilities to combine work with our personal needs, styles, and standard of living.
CHANGES IN ESTABLISHED WORK NORMS
It is a fact that the explosive development of science and technology, as well as the globalization of the economy, put established practices and work norms into question, while at the same time imposing new burdens on individuals and families. The structure and timing of work have always been under constant change, but in our era it seems that these changes are accelerating. Businesses are under constant pressure to produce products and services, at the right quality, at the right price, and at the right time. This pressure often leads to new ways of organizing work in order to make the most of the company’s personnel and equipment. Thus, as modern demands increase and working hours are elongated, the ability to achieve a satisfactory balance in one’s life seems increasingly unattainable.
The public dialogue and primarily the interest of women’s organizations focus on how employees will raise their children while being consistent with their professional obligations, as well as how they will respond in case of illness of children or dependent relatives. However, the focus of attention solely on the difficulties of balancing professional life with parental responsibilities does not facilitate a full understanding of the significance and value of the balance between work and family life. It is therefore useful to examine the issue within the framework of political economy and social policy.
The balance of time..
The basic question raised from this perspective is how we can reconcile our private life with paid work, without undermining the productivity of labor, nor the health of workers who are already experiencing the consequences of competitiveness. The dilemma has already been aptly expressed by John Monks, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation: “the most important thing in organizing work is time – that is, when we work, for how long, and how we can balance working time with time outside of work.” The Confederation argues that achieving a balance between work and other aspects of life has significant benefits for society as a whole. Employers also recognize that employees who face conflicts between their roles as parents and as workers are less creative and productive.
Many studies indicate that in recent years, paid work has intensified, become more stressful, and therefore less satisfying. Research from the London School of Economics regarding employee satisfaction levels showed a clear decline in satisfaction between 1992 and 2000, for both men and women. The data concerned the daily workload they had to manage, working hours, access to professional training, and the degree of job security. In the 2000 survey, 27% said that the available time for their family obligations was increasingly diminishing, while eight years earlier, 21% held this view.
Intensification of work
Experts argue that the lack of satisfaction among people with their work is not so much due to the nature and object of the work, but primarily to the intensification and increase in working hours. It is interesting to note that the greatest discontent is expressed at the top and bottom of the hierarchy, that is, among high-ranking executives and semi-skilled workers. At the same time, among women, the greatest discontent is expressed among unskilled female workers.
The gap, therefore, between the rhetoric about the combination of professional and family life and the reality of the workplace is very large. There are not many employers who provide their staff with facilities for childcare, such as parental leave and nurseries, while most are completely unaware of the issue. This is despite the fact that studies in the last decade confirm that companies reap significant benefits from work-life balance policies. Research shows a direct relationship between these policies and reduced absenteeism, stress management, as well as increased productivity and job satisfaction among employees.
In any case, it is very interesting that market experts have discovered that the demands and claims of women’s organizations and the feminist movement for strengthening women’s employment and independence, as well as the old demand for enhancing social infrastructure for the care of children and dependent relatives, are related to the market and the competitiveness of the economy.
STRENGTHENING THE POSITION OF WOMEN – THE LISBON STRATEGY
The European Union, facing fierce competition from the USA and Asian countries, adopted the reconciliation of professional and family policy as one of the priorities of European policy (the corresponding demand from the feminist movement is the fair distribution between men and women of the obligations and responsibilities of the public and private spheres).
The Lisbon strategy, which aims to make the economy of the European Union the strongest and most competitive in the world by 2010, set a plan-quota for member states for female employment at 60% by 2010. Currently, only Sweden meets this target, while Greece is around 40%. The European Council of Barcelona (2002) also set a clear timeline: By 2010, childcare services should cover 33% of children aged 0-3 years (Greece is below 10%) and 90% of children aged 3-6 years. A “Roadmap 2006-2010” for achieving equality was also approved by EU officials, while the Spring Council of 2006 approved the European Gender Pact, which aims to strengthen female employment. What is really happening?
The demographic problem
The European Union today (as well as Greece) is facing a shrinking workforce, low birth rates, and an aging population. Experts have calculated that facilitating women’s access to the labor market and creating conditions for balancing professional and personal life can contribute to enhancing the productivity of the economy, through better utilization of human resources and combating unemployment. Indeed, research and cost-benefit analyses from the International Labour Office have demonstrated that the medium-term gains from investments in childcare far exceed the short-term costs. It is also estimated that for every 100 jobs occupied by women, an additional 10 jobs are created in the services sector.
At the same time, of course, the demographic problem is also being addressed, since, as is known, EU countries with a satisfactory care services system also have the highest birth rates. However, it seems that long-standing demands of women’s organizations are also being satisfied, such as: strengthening women’s economic independence and self-determination, closing the income gap, ensuring the well-being of children and their education through quality care and education programs, limiting stereotypes and prejudices, improving the quality of life for workers and those who continue their studies, and consequently promoting a fairer distribution of responsibilities in the private and public spheres between men and women, leading to a more balanced life.
50 YEARS SINCE THE TREATY OF ROME..
The Treaty of Rome, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in a few days, already referred in 1957 to equal pay for equal work. Directives for the equality of men and women have been Community Law since the mid-1970s. However, the prohibition of discrimination has not eliminated the gender pay gap (30% in Greece), in pensions, social security, participation in public offices and decision-making, in the provision of care services for children and the elderly, in the implementation of equality legislation. Gaps remain as a result of structures and mindsets built over the centuries and outdated traditions that resist change and progress.
After 50 years of political equality, women unfortunately still tend to accept part-time, poorly paid positions in the public and private sectors and have less chance of working as directors or in other senior positions. Part-time work is attractive to women with children or caregiving responsibilities for the elderly. The data also shows that women with young children are less likely to enter the labor market than women without children, whereas men with children have a higher chance of finding work and career advancement than those without children.
WHAT CAN HAPPEN?
So what do we do? One of the answers is: more and better childcare services, sufficient and affordable preschool nurseries and kindergartens, as well as care for children who finish school at noon or early in the afternoon, parental leave shared between dads and moms. Universal childcare for all who need it is a social necessity for the 21st century.
It is also necessary to take action at all levels, from:
§ The government, which must address the changes occurring in the structures of family, work, and society, through a strong social policy. The example of the Scandinavian countries has shown that the welfare state can coexist harmoniously with the development and competitiveness of the economy. The legislative authority always plays a significant role: in supporting citizens with caregiving responsibilities, in expanding the network of childcare centers and full-day schools, in determining parental leave, as well as the minimum wage and working hours. Continuous dialogue and cooperation between the government and civil society are also needed, and of course, the implementation of the applicable legislation.
§ Businesses and employers with family-friendly policies that leverage the skills and talents of employees exclude any discrimination based on gender and facilitate employees in balancing a successful career with a balanced and happy personal life.
§ Trade union organizations that are concerned about the difficulties faced by workers in the workplace in their efforts to balance work with family obligations. The issue needs to be placed at the top of the agenda.
§ Social organizations and mainly women’s organizations that will highlight the issue with imagination and bravery and will empower local action for more and better care for children and the elderly.
§ At an individual level, better organization of our time and our priorities is needed, protection of personal life, perhaps less television and more time for recreational activities and continuous education. Balance does not mean that we do everything perfectly. We examine our priorities and set boundaries.
§ Families and households, with people who value gender equality, companionship, communication, friendship, and share fairly all responsibilities, obligations, and pleasures, both in the private and public sphere.
We need, above all, a change in the culture that sustains and reproduces archaic stereotypes and policies that will target this direction.
Sources:
§ Anderson, Gunar, 2005, “A Study on Policy and Practices in Selected Countries that encourage childbirth: The case of Sweden” MPIDR Working Paper, EP 2005-005, Germany
§ Bovenberg A.L., 2005, “Balancing Work and Family Life during the life course”, High Level Expert Conference on the Social Agenda, Amsterdam 28-29/10/2005
§ OECD Emloyment Outlook, 2001, “Balancing Work and Family Life”, Paris
§ Paraskeva, Maria-Anna, “Reconciliation of Work and Family as a means to promote women’s participation in the labour market” EMPL/G/1
§ State Services Commission, 2005, “Work-Life Balance: A Resource for State-Services”, New Zealand
§ Stratigaki, Maria, 2004, “The Cooptation of Gender Concepts in EU Policies: The case of Reconciliation of Work and Family”, Social Politics, Vol. 11, No 1, Oxford University Press
§ Taylor Robert, 2003, “The Future of Work-Life Balance” E.S.R.C. Economic and Social Research Council, UK