Babies and bosses. 2 : reconciling work and family life : Austria, Ireland and Japan

raising Children And Having A Career Both Rate Highly As Important Life Goals For Many People. Helping Parents To Achieve These Goals Is Vital For Society: Parental Care Plays A Crucial Role In Child Development And Parental Employment Promotes Economic Prosperity. A Failure To Assist Parents Find Their Preferred Work And Family Balance Has Implications For Both Labour Supply And Family Decisions. This Study Considers How A Wide Range Of Policies, Including Tax/benefit Policies, Childcare Policies, And Employment And Workplace Practices, Help Determine Parental Labour Market Outcomes And Family Formation In Austria, Ireland And Japan. table Of Contents In English Chapter 1. Table Of Contents Chapter 2. Main Findings And Policy Recommendations Chapter 3. Families And Work: Labour Market Outcomes Chapter 4. Balancing Time At Work With Care Responsibilities Chapter 5. Family Formation: Does More Work Lead To Fewer Births? chapter 6. Families And Care: Who Minds The Children? chapter 7. Tax/benefit Policy: Parental Work And Care Choices This OECD study of parents' participation in the labor market inAustralia, Denmark and the Netherlands shows how family-friendly policies such as childcare, child-related leave and tax/benefit policies can help create a better balance between work and family-life. Access to affordable good-quality childcare is a critical factor. In all three countries, paid child-related leave benefits have aroused a lively policy debate. The problems parents face in balancing their work and family life go far beyond the period when their children are very young. In all three countries, the existing workplace culture still places a penalty on fathers using family-friendly benefits. Hence, mothers make the greatest use of leave arrangements, part-time work and flexible working hours. This can damage their career development when compared to men, and perpetuates existing gender inequalities at the labor market. v. 1. Australia, Denmark and the Netherlands v. 2. Austria, Ireland, and Japan v. 3. New Zealand, Portugal and Switzerland