A few days ago, the report “Ten years of work conciliation in Spain (1999-2009)”, carried out by the Women's and Labor Center of the International Institute for Family Studies, with interesting conclusions, was released. The main one, I would say, is that Spain does not trust the benefits of work and family conciliation.
Or, at least, it is not trusted from a certain perspective: the one that would make it easier for workers to have more flexibility in their jobs, the key to work-family reconciliation.
This follows from the data collected in this study, through a sample of five thousand companies, which speak of flexibility, both in time and space. A more flexible working day adapted to family needs it would result in greater productivity and, therefore, in making companies more competitive.
The study, carried out by Nuria Chinchilla and Consuelo León, shows that work-family relationships are a source of mutual benefit and not conflict, and that the family has a decisive role in getting out of the crisis and facing the challenges of the future. .
But, in Spain, seven out of ten workers consider that their work is not flexible, and only 15% of the workers consulted their company is systematically conciliatory and flexible. There is also the case of companies that have certain reconciliation policies but do not apply or apply little (they will be paper policies, then).
According to the authors of the study, the legislation that regulates conciliation can help, but what is really important so that work does not become an obstacle to conciliation is the conviction of entrepreneurs.
Of the businessmen, and of the Administrations, I add, since not few people work depending on the Administrations. For what I consider necessary a clear legislation that includes all workers, also the self-employed, because, although with different needs, everyone wants to reconcile.
We are all involved in the conciliation
The key is in a total reform, a kind of social pact that allows harmonizing work, school, commercial and family schedules.
And one of the fundamental pitfalls in my opinion for this to take place is that there is no equality of conditions between fathers and mothers when it comes to taking care of their children, when it comes to reducing hours, of temporarily leaving work: It is mostly women who do it.
If the relationship between professional careers and family responsibilities were equal for men and women (the ideal obligation of the mother's leave during the first six months of the baby is excluded here), it would probably be simpler than companies, politicians, and society in general will bet on a true conciliation.
In addition, it is demonstrated with the experience of some “expert” countries in conciliating that mandatory parental leave would also help conciliation.
There is a long way to go, many obstacles to overcome, but at the moment in which we are aware, all men and women, fathers and non-fathers, politicians, businessmen, workers, that it is necessary and there are many benefits of work and family reconciliation, we will not go forward.
