Silvera, Rachel

Professional and Family Schedules in Europe: New Configurations - 2010.


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To better articulate professional and family schedules is one of the major subjects of European policies, who thus defend the fundamental principle of equality between women and men, but also demographic and economic objectives: to both enable more women to joint the workplace and make it easier for them to be mothers and to take care of others. This article aims at drawing up an up-to-date, albeit incomplete overview of public policies in the field of schedule articulation in Europe (schedules, services, public expenditure), and consequently observing what is the responsibility of other actors than the State, such as companies. This will lead to recount the evolution of European models in the field of “conciliation”, according to the role of State, market and family. Beyond these words, practices are far from homogenous and do not seem to converge to this common project of “conciliation” and equality that is supported by policies of the European Union.