Work-Life Balance Left Behind In ‘Social Revolution’

The daily juggling act of balancing work and caring responsibilities is destined to get harder rather than easier, a survey suggests. The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) also found voters want direct support for working families to be firmly on the agenda of every political party.

The poll of more than 2,000 people reveals that 82% of people say it is difficult for parents to balance work and home life. More than seven in ten believe the situation will be worse, not better, in ten years’ time.

An overwhelming 96% think it is hard for other carers to combine their role with work. More than eight in ten think the next decade will only see the challenge become harder.

The EOC findings are published today as the commission’s chair, Jenny Watson, argues in a speech to the Smith Institute that the UK risks a “serious breakdown in family and community life” if it fails to complete the “unfinished social revolution” created by changes in family life and participation at work.

She will call for more opportunities for women and men to decide how to share caring and working responsibilities between themselves, and will demand better support for families and more women in positions of power.

According to the survey, almost two-thirds of the public believe the world of work should change to suit the needs of families rather than the other way round, adding weight to calls for widespread flexible working and improved childcare.

Some 68% of those polled believe the traditional model of male breadwinner and female homemaker is a thing of the past, and almost as many called on political parties to do more to reflect that change.

Spending time with the family or finding time for key relationships is the biggest concern in daily life for both men and women, ahead of money, health, work and local safety.

Ms Watson will say today: “The social revolution is an unfinished revolution. Family life has changed dramatically in the last generation and three out of four people say it should be as easy for men to take time off for caring responsibilities as it is for women.

“Far more mothers are in the workplace. Fathers want to be hands-on dads. And most of us will need to provide some support, often unforeseen, for older relatives in the future. Add globalisation and the rapid rise of technology to the mix and it feels as if the world has changed but society has failed to keep up.”