Encouraging the reconciliation between family life and professional life:a challenge for women, for families and for society

The Challenge

The numbers of working women have seen a sharp rise over the last few years in Western society.  Women with professional training or a high level of academic achievement are increasingly numerous.  They have a legitimate wish to pursue a profession life and develop a career.  This aspiration shouldn’t be discouraged amongst those who wish to have children; not only because having a family is a fundamental right that society should facilitate but because the work of women is a creator of wealth and employment.
To fulfil a professional activity is also essential for many, in particular for families of limited means and for parents who are bringing up their children alone.

At the same time, the work of parents who stay at home is also a precious contribution to our societies with regard to children: as the creators of social links in the neighbourhood, and in local schools and associations where they are strongly committed.  This work should be better recognised and valued. We observe that those countries which have put in place policies to help parents in general, and women in particular, to work whilst bringing up their children have been able to maintain a satisfactory birth rate.  This is the case in Scandinavian countries or in France, for example.  On the other hand, the countries which have concealed the problem by obliging women to chose between work and having children whilst staying at home have sustained a significant fall in their birth rate, such as in Italy and Spain and, for a long time now, in Germany.  As well as the demographic consequences, it is also necessary to question the position of women in society and in professional and public life in these countries.  The increase in standard of living in a large number of European countries have driven more and more men and women to choose their comfortable lifestyle to the detriment of raising a family and the associated costs. The reconciliation between family and professional life has thus become a subject for society, a challenge of demographics and of equality between men and women.
It is a question which concerns predominantly women because they are, or are not, penalised by the fact of having children.  It is they whom assume the majority of educational and domestic tasks, who constitute the majority of single parent families.   Nevertheless, the reconciliation cannot be made without the fathers.  They are important, as much for the children as for the women, since those who fulfil wholeheartedly their role, complement that of mothers and assume their share of the workload.
We believe that a decisive factor in tackling this subject is to specify how a policy aimed at empowering the reconciliation of family and professional life should be as complete and as broad as possible.  It should be respectful of the choices facing parents.  There doesn’t exist, in effect, a model family in real life.  Each family should be able to choose in relation to their own choices, their situation and changes over the passage of time.
The life and constraints of parents and especially of mothers are very variable according to their social origin, their material situation, their educational background, the origin and professional situation of their partner, the number of children raised in the family, the presence of ill or handicapped children or also of ill, elderly or handicapped adults in their immediate family, their physical and emotional resistance.
Furthermore, the majority of mothers don’t have a straightforward life but go through a sequence of life events.  Some work a great deal before having children, lighten their working hours after the second child, stop for several years, start work again.  Others never stop working.  Onto this are overlaid happy or difficult events which have implications for the choices made and necessitate adaptation: periods of unemployment for one or both partners, illness, divorce, widowhood….

We consider that all policies aimed at facilitating the reconciliation of family and professional life should be based around three objectives:

1. To encourage the wish of parents to have the number of children that they would like
2. To respect the choice of parents to continue to follow a professional life, to work part time or to stop for a while and to assist them whatever their choice.
3. To facilitate the life of parents and in particular, mothers, who make the choice or who are obligated to work, via the broadest possible range of assistance.

MMMs' proposals

MMM proposes that the reconciliation of family and professional life is facilitated by a series of initiatives which impact on matters such as work contracts, childcare provision and retirement.

• The development and inclusion in the labour laws of a maternity leave as suggested in Directive 183 of the International Labour Organisation, the minimum being a pre-natal leave of 8 weeks and post natal of a minimum of 10 weeks, with an increase from the 3^rd child.
• The introduction of remunerated leave with the right of return to work for those, mothers or fathers, who wish to take care of their young children between the ages of 1 and 3 years.
• To organise remunerated leave to care for ill children which would permit one of the parents to stop working or to work part time to care for a child suffering from a serious illness.
• The development of childcare options; crèches, maternity assistants…They should be a diversified choice so that each parent can find the mode of childcare which suits them
• The acceptance of children in the education system from 3 years of age.
• The granting of assistance for continuous training for mothers who have stopped working during x years and training assistance upon return to work.
• The Adoption of fiscal measures to re-establish equality between families with children and couples or people without children
• To take into account child benefit payments in the calculation of retirement rights and the introduction or specific rights for parents who stay at home.
• The introduction of rights specifically for men or women who assume the care of elderly parents, the ill or the handicapped or handicapped or ill children.