INCREASED MIGRATION FLOWS, AGEING
POPULATIONS AND long and inflexible working hours are generally
accepted as Europe-wide problems of our time but, as they seem to be
intertwined, how can this knot be untied? There is a lot of evidence
that unsocial hours of work are causing women to delay or abandon plans
to have children. This in turn has led to ageing populations as the
‘baby-boomers’, born in the forties, reach retirement age, and improved
medical science lengthens the lives of retired people. By 2050 it is
estimated that there will be only 2 people of working age for each
pensioner in the EU whereas today the ratio is 4 to 1. While working
age migrants who move to another country for employment reasons can
plug the gap to some extent, their numbers will not be sufficient to
solve the problem. As well as any stresses caused by their arrival in
the host country, their home state suffers another push towards
depopulation as in some Eastern European countries where birth rates
are down to 1.2 children per woman, far below the 2.1 needed to
maintain existing numbers.
The EU authorities are, not surprisingly, concerned about this
situation. The Lisbon agenda, approved in 2000, set ambitious targets
for higher employment levels for all those of working age in all Member
States as well as specifically encouraging more women and older people
onto the labour market. However the Commission now feels that greater
stress should be placed on work/life balance and is preparing to
consult the social partners on this issue. It says that there is some
evidence that countries which have flexible employment policies with
provision and benefits for parents have both more people of both sexes
in work and higher birth rates. For instance France, where generous
maternity leave, government subsides for part time working and child
care as well as tax and child allowances mean that women are encouraged
to have babies, has not only the second highest birth rate in the EU
but a respectable showing in the league table of female employment. The
Scandinavian states, which have similar policies, are at the top but
also do 
well on fertility rates. European employers’ and union
organisations have already adopted a framework of action on gender
equality. This includes prioritising work life balance through flexible
working arrangements, encouraging both partners to take up existing
benefits and co-operating with local authorities to improve child and
other care facilities. But now the Commission wants to hear what else
could be done. This might include new legislation at EU level but also
action by national governments, individual companies or industries. As
well as the topics already in the framework they want to know how new
information technologies can help. They state that connection between
work and home via mobile phones and e-mail ‘potentially increases
productivity, reduces absenteeism, improves staff commitment, increases
retention rates and reduces employers' cost’. However they warn that
there is a threat that private, family life could be invaded by work,
causing family tensions.
As well as attacking the depopulation and ageing problems, the
Commission views reconciling work and private life as a means of
advancing equality between women and men. At the moment women are
considerably less likely to work if they have children under the age of
12 (61.1% compared to 75.4%) while fathers of young children are
actually more likely to be in employment (91.2% to 85.6%). Recent
surveys show that about 65% of housework is still carried out by women
and, although three-quarters of current and prospective fathers knew
about their entitlement to parental leave, 84% had no intention of
taking it. The EU ‘road map’ on equality foregrounds flexible working,
increased care services
and sharing of parental benefits.*
Could
flexible working rebalance your life?
