How do employed women perceive the reconciliation of work and family life?

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyze how employed women perceive the reconciliation of work and family life in Denmark, Germany, France, Finland, Great Britain, Sweden and Switzerland. The paper seeks to explore why women in certain countries are more successful in combining family resp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of sociology and social policy 2012-01, Vol.32 (9/10), p.513-529
Main Authors: Hennig, Marina, Stuth, Stefan, Ebach, Mareike, Erika Hägglund, Anna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Employment
Europe
Family
Family Life
Family Policy
Females
Labor Market
Markets
Reconstruction
Values
Work
Working Women
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Summary:Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyze how employed women perceive the reconciliation of work and family life in Denmark, Germany, France, Finland, Great Britain, Sweden and Switzerland. The paper seeks to explore why women in certain countries are more successful in combining family responsibilities with gainful employment.Design methodology approach - Drawing on data from the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) 2005, the questions are addressed by applying country specific linear regression analysis at the individual level, correlations at the country level as well as policy analysis.Findings - The analysis shows that the most important factors influencing employed women's perception of the reconciliation are work load, the presence of children in the household and part-time employment. In addition, the findings point at cross-national differences. In countries where family policies focus on integrating men and women into the labour market, women rate the reconciliation of work and family life higher than in countries whose family policies aim at supporting the family.Research limitations implications - By comparing seven European countries the paper shows that family policies are closely related to employed women's perceptions of the reconciliation. In order to understand the interaction between the individual perception and the institutional framework, the paper suggests that further research is needed on women's perceptions in each country.Originality value - The paper explores how employed women perceive the reconciliation of work and family life in seven European countries and explains the differences by means of family policies.
ISSN:0144-333X
1758-6720
DOI:10.1108/01443331211257625