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A new study by researchers from the Universities of Leicester and Leeds calls for change in EU legislation to help parents balance the pressures of working and family life.
Reconciling Work and Family Life in EU Law and Policy is the product of several years of work by Dr Eugenia Caracciolo di Torella from the School of Law at University of Leicester and Dr Annick Masselot from the University of Leeds. It advocates change in current laws and policies to accommodate the evolving nature of family and working life.
The economic pressures of paying off mortgages and debts mean that both parents often need to be working to provide for their family. Legislation currently provided for working parents and carers is still deficient, and, although constantly developing, it remains inadequate in supporting working carers.
Laws are mainly aimed at mothers and small children, but as family units evolve there also needs to be legislation in place for fathers and carers of frailer and elderly members of the family. This new study proposes longer paternity leave measures, as well as more flexible working hours for all carers.
Dr Caracciolo di Torella, Lecturer in Law at the University of
Leicester, commented:
“We want to effect change in the EU and the UK; there should
be legislation in place for all carers, not just women. Anybody who
needs or wants should be able to work, not only those who can
afford a nanny or some other form of help. In addition, as the
population ages, there is an increasing need for care of the
elderly. Again, not everyone can afford or want to rely on private
institutions. The family is an ever evolving concept and there
should be laws in place to reflect that.
“The worlds of family and work are completely different now to what we envisaged when we first began this project several years ago. My experience of having children during that time has meant that I’ve had first-hand experience of balancing work and family, which has made the book more real and I fully appreciated its relevance.
“To have children is not a selfish act. Today’s children are tomorrow’s doctors, teachers or lawyers; we need them and we need a society which allows parents to care for them.”
Reconciling Work and Family Life in EU Law and Policy is published by Palgrave Macmillan.
