Work-Life Balance, Working Conditions and the Great Recession

Abstract

While concern with the interface between work and family life is not new, work-life balance has risen to prominence in academic and policy debates in recent years. This has occurred in the context of rising female participation in the labour market, and a concomitant rise in the proportion of people combining work and caring roles (McGinnity and Whelan 2009). Work does not happen in a vacuum: individuals weave work into their lives in myriad ways, and to a greater or lesser extent feel ‘successful’ or ‘balanced’ in how they do this.