Tipping the Balance: The Problematic Nature of Work–Life Balance in a Low-Income Neighbourhood

The article attempts to locate the contested notion of work–life balance within the context of global trends and recent policy developments. It describes a small-scale qualitative study of work–life balance as it is experienced within a low-income neighbourhood in the UK. The study findings are used...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of social policy Vol. 36; no. 4; pp. 519 - 537
Main Author DEAN, HARTLEY
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.10.2007
Subjects
Alienation
Development Policy
Everyday life
Families & family life
Family Life
Globalization
Income
Income distribution
Incomes policy
Labor Market
Labour policy
Low income
Low income groups
Neighbourhoods
Policy Making
Policy studies
Political sociology
Qualitative Methods
Social conditions & trends
Social policy
Social Responsibility
United Kingdom
Work
Work life balance
Working parents
United Kingdom > UK
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Summary:The article attempts to locate the contested notion of work–life balance within the context of global trends and recent policy developments. It describes a small-scale qualitative study of work–life balance as it is experienced within a low-income neighbourhood in the UK. The study findings are used to inform reflections on the powerlessness experienced by many working parents seeking to accommodate family life with paid employment; and on the nature of the calculative responsibilities that are imposed upon working parents by recent shifts in social and labour market policy. It is contended that policy makers should tip the balance of the work–life equation from the current preoccupation with business interests in favour of wider social responsibility concerns.
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ISSN:0047-2794
1469-7823
DOI:10.1017/S004727940700116X