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Work-Family Balance in the XXI Century: Challenges, Opportunities and New Perspectives from Innovative Practices and Policies
Abstract Submissions Closed
RC06 Family Research (host committee)
Language: English
Session Type: Oral
In the XXI century work-family balance represents a key strategic issue. A number of factors are challenging the traditional way to combine work and family: globalization; technological advances; changing gender roles; growing diversity of family structures; changing individual and family values; the generational turnover; an aging workforce.
Work-life balance is necessary for everyone, at whatever stage of the life course (Houston, 2005; Brandth, Halrynjo and Kvande, 2017), depends on the age of children, and is about effectively combining work and family with the other spheres of personal life. Maintaining a work-family balance is not only important for health, happiness and relationships, but it can also improve productivity and performance in the workplace. Nowadays, a healthy work-life balance would be impossible without technology, new workplace relationships and a different companies’ attitudes, needed to better deal with increasing inequalities among women and men belonging to different age groups, different families, from different socioeconomic backgrounds and with different working conditions (for example unprotected and precarious employment).
The session welcomes papers describing innovative practices, organizational changes and policy changes aimed at giving women and men the opportunity to better balance their personal, family and work needs.
We encourage submissions including, but not limited to, the following topics:
Technology, smart working and work-life balance;
Innovative work-life balance strategies;
Innovative approaches to childcare;
Online social networking and work-life balance;
Pros and cons of technology’s impact on work-life balance;
Corporate family responsibilities.