Reconciling work and family life involves two key goals for both individuals and society: being able to work, to earn an income while participating in the most important social activity of modern life, and providing the best care and nurturing for one’s own children. This first OECD review of the reconciliation of work and family life looks at the challenges parents of young children confront when trying to square their work and care commitments, and the implications for social and labour market trends. It considers the current mix of family-friendly policies in Australia, Denmark, and the Netherlands and explores how this policy balance contributes to different labour market and other societal outcomes in these three countries.
Tables des matières:
Introduction to the Review Chapter 1. Main Findings -Policy Objectives -Work and Families -Comparison of Current Policies to Reconcile Work and Family Life -Emerging Pressures for the Reconciliation of Work and Family Life Chapter 2. Families and Work: How Are Families Doing? -Summary -Government Intervention with a Social Purpose -Population Characteristics -Labour Market Outcomes -Income Inequality, Poverty, and Child Poverty -Conclusions Chapter 3. Availability and Affordability of Good Quality Childcare -Childcare: What Are the Policy Objectives? -Different Types of Childcare -The Importance and Nature of Childcare Use in the Three Countries under Review -The Cost of Childcare -Quality -Childcare Constraints -Childcare-School-Work Time Interface -Conclusions Chapter 4. Leave from Work to Care for Very Young Children -Key Elements of Child-Related Leave Arrangements across Countries -Equity and Efficiency in the Provision of Leave -Conclusions Chapter 5. Promoting Female Employment -Introduction -The Financial Incentives to Enter Work -Effects of the Tax Benefit System on Those Who Already Work -Evidence of Incentive Effects -Labour Market Programmes -Conclusions Chapter 6. Family-Friendly Work Practices -Introduction -The Institutional Framework for Industrial Relations -Motives -The Extent of Practices in the Workplace -The Scope for Expanding Family-Friendly Work Practices -The Role of Government -Conclusions References
