About Households, Work and Flexibility

Aims:

The aim is to look at how different kinds of work are combined within households and how social and labour market policies in different countries affect this. With debates about flexibility taking place in many European countries, the project considers what effects different policies regarding flexible employment might have for the daily lives of people and families. An important aspect of this is the gendered division of work both inside and outside of the home and the combinations of paid and unpaid work.

The different countries represented in the project provide contrasting examples of different approaches to flexibility and also the possibility of and East/West comparison.

Duration:

The project began in April 2000 and continues until 2003.

Understanding flexibility:

The project is based upon a sample survey of people in each country who are asked about their own experiences of different kinds of employment along with those of other members of their households. The questionnaire considers paid as well as unpaid work and the strategies through which households approach these different kinds of work.

Flexibility is construed as flexibility of time, place and conditions of work.

Publications:

In addition to the working papers produced during the project, which will be presented on this home page, there will be shorter briefings, or summaries of findings for the benefit of policy makers, journalists or others who are interested in these results. There will be also a range of publications arising from the project which will also be advertised on these pages.

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