On Tuesday, 29th October, the AGF organized the conference “Towards a family-friendly labor market”. In three working groups, participants discussed the right to return to full-time employment, precarious jobs and family consciousness in companies.
Background of the discussions is the fact that it is mainly the labor market setting the timing for families. Duration, location and pace of working hours largely determine the extent and ways mothers and fathers are able to fulfill family responsibilities. Concerning reconciliation of private and professional life, mothers usually opt for part-time work, marginal employment or vocational outs, while fathers often spend significantly more time at work than they would like to.
To what extent both parents can engage in work and family life, and whether professional advancement is also possible with a family also depends to a large degree on the dominant work culture and the possibilities of participation. So far, however, the perspective of families only plays a minor role within corporate decision-making.
The working groups discussed what changes would be necessary to give families more freedom and how relevant labor laws must be specifically designed to facilitate the reconciliation of work and family life for mothers and fathers.
- How can more awareness for family issues be created in companies?
- What are possible solutions regarding precarious employment?
- What should an effective right to return from part-time to a previously held full-time position look like?
- How can long-term working hour accounts enhance reconciliation?
- What can a part-time work that is close to full-time work contribute to better reconciliation?
A documentation of the event is being compiled, which will be sent to the participants and be available on the website of the AGF in the near future.
