Reconciliation of family and work life
Nato Kurshitashvili
Serbia,18-19 May 2010
United Nations Economic Commission for EuropeStatistical Division
What is reconciliation of family and work life?
United Nations Economic Commission for EuropeStatistical Division
Reconciliation of work and family is a fundamental aspect of promoting equality in the world of work and of reducing poverty
Why has this issue become increasingly important across the
EU in the recent years?
Looking at the total employment rates, women are significantly falling behind men.
What policies exist?
Childcare facilities
Leave entitlements
Flexible work arrangements
Financial Allowances
Serbia
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
1 child 2 children 3 and more children
Hungary
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
1 child 2 children 3 and more children
Source: UNECE Statistical Division Database, compiled from national official sources
Austria
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
1 child 2 children 3 or more children
France
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
1 child 2 children 3 or more children
Employment rates by number of children, countries and sex, %, 2006-2007Childcare facilities
Male Female
Ratio of the number of places available for children aged 0-2 years in childcare centers, per 100 children
0 10 20 30 40 50
France
Estonia
Lithuania
Netherlands
Bulgaria
Germany
The fYR of Macedonia
Poland
Romania
Source: UNECE Statistical Division Database, compiled from national and international sources, 2000-06
Childcare facilities
Leave entitlements
•Level of payment
•Length of leave
•Flexibility in using the leave
•Labour market sector, etc.
Flexible working time arrangements
• Part-time work
• Job sharing
• Flexi-time
• Home working or teleworking
• Term-time working
• Annualized hours, etc.
Data Sources
There are number of data sources which can be useful to measure the reconciliation of family and work life.
Labour Force Surveys
2005 EU-LFS ad hoc module:
•How far persons participate in the labour force
•The degree of flexibility offered at work•How far the leave is taken.
Time Use SurveysTime spent on TV and video and domestic work, by sex and country (2000-2006)
Latvia
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
1 2
Spain
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
1 2
Source: UNECE Gender Statistics database, 2000-2006
Note: data are reported in number of hours, where decimals represent hundredths of an hour
Domestic activitiesTV and video
Women Men Women Men
Survey on Income and Living Conditions -EU-SILC
The number of hours of childcare per week Broken down by provider for each child aged 0-12
Detailed questions on how children are cared:
Indicators
Impact of parenthood on employment rates
Without children?
With children?
Number of available places at pre-schools and day care centers
Share of employees working fewer hours because of care of children
Time spent on domestic work by sex
Time spent on ‘free time’ activities by sex
Impact of marital status on the employment rates by sex
Indicators
•Educational attainment of staff•Carer/child ratio•Take up rate of leave by men• Return rate of leave takers.
Conclusion
What statistical tools can be better utilized to provide the data on the reconciliation of family and work life?
•Labour Force Surveys
•Time Use Surveys
•EU-SILC, etc
United Nations Economic Commission for EuropeStatistical Division
Thank you