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

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 August 2007

HARTLEY DEAN
HARTLEY DEAN*
Affiliation:
Reader in Social Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE email: [email protected]
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Abstract

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.

Type
Article
Information
Journal of Social Policy , Volume 36 , Issue 4 , October 2007 , pp. 519 - 537
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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