Everybody's Talking: Work-Life Balance Goes Mainstream

ended

Lithuanian context suggests that existing negative gender stereotypes and gender inequalities not only have a negative impact on women’s opportunities to employment and proper men’s involvement in family life, but also require better work-life measures for reconciliation between personal and professional life for both women and men in order to overcome gender gaps over the life-cycle. Therefore, the proposed project aims at overcoming policy, work-related, psychological, emotional, social and attitudinal behavioral barriers regarding equal share in the work-life balance for women and men. The outlined objective will be achieved through (1) caring out the revision of legislation on work-life balance in Lithuania, (2) conducting advocacy meetings with Parliament members for necessary legal amendments in regulation, (3) developing mechanism for work-life balance measures at the company level, (4) promoting the idea of shared parental leave, and (5) raising public awareness / discussions and promoting behavioral changes about better reconciliation between work and private life. The project will provide behavioral solutions to equalizing childcare between women and men and better work-life balance altogether. The project will reach policy makers (30), employers (50), families (10K), general public (1M). The results will include (1) recommendations for policy makers on better design of childcare and flexible working possibilities, (2) changed company behavior regarding work-life policy and built capacities in establishing measures for improving employees’ work-life balance, (3) prompted public discussions on benefits of shared childcare and work-life balance, (4) redefined definition of modern masculinity and fatherhood, (5) empowering mothers to overcome maternal guilt and choosing personally suitable form to reconcile family and work.