Documents Community, Work & Family 3 results

"The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the development of parental leave in the Nordic countries in the last decade or so and explain the different approaches taken by individual countries in this regard. Focusing on recent developments, though mainly on the provision of a father's quota, we discuss whether we are actually witnessing a paradigm shift in some of these countries, i.e. a movement away from an emphasis on the dual earner/dual carer model and a reverting back to a more traditional family model approach where the mother is seen as the main parent. This change is commonly presented under the guise of it respecting the ‘free choice' of individual families. Furthermore, the article asks why the changes in question have taken place and examines the positions of different political parties towards the issue. The article shows that the Nordic countries are developing somewhat different policies and the intra-Nordic gap in both policies and politics seems to be increasing rather than narrowing."

"Following decades of progress in prosperity, female employment participation and early childhood education and care policies, the recent economic crisis which began in 2007/2008 has had a negative impact on many aspects of family and child well-being in many OECD countries. Although effects vary across countries, the growth in female employment stalled, as did the rebound in fertility rates, divorce rates went up, while child income poverty increased further. The economic crisis also affected family policy. In many countries, income support policies initially expanded but after the onset of the crisis cutbacks to government spending were often made in view of budgetary pressures. In many countries, financial supports for families are less generous now than they were prior to the crisis. By comparison, parental leave arrangements and childcare supports systems have remained largely unscathed in most OECD countries with some countries actually expanding childcare supports despite the limitations to fiscal space. This paper highlights the changes in important family outcomes and related policies that occurred in OECD countries following the onset of the economic crisis, and demonstrates how countries most affected by the crisis faced significantly worse outcomes for families and children."

"In this Voices article, we use emerging evidence to reflect on the consequences of Covid-19 for various aspects of workers' wellbeing. This brief review emphasises how COVID-19 exacerbates existing, well-understood inequalities, along the intersections of community, work, and family. Workers on the periphery of the labour market, including non-standard workers and the self-employed, but also women and low-paid workers, are experiencing significant losses in relation to work, working hours and/or wages. Even once the pandemic is contained, its impact will continue to be felt by many communities, workers, and families for months and years to come."