Research network on work/family reconciliation

The context of the research
The broad context for this research network is the ongoing quest, in western industrialised nations, for the achievement of work/family reconciliation. Many countries have attempted, through a variety of laws of differing nature and scope, to help families balance the responsibilities of labour market participation and the need to care for dependants. Yet, despite this legal engagement, tensions continue to exist and this remains a controversial topic. The challenges, at an individual and a societal level, posed by the need to reconcile the demands of work and care are often explored by academics and policy makers individually. There is, however, a need for interdisciplinary thinking in this area, so as to draw together the links between government policies and everyday experiences, theories and practices, laws and society.

Aims and objectives
The central aim of this research network is to establish and facilitate links between a group of academics and professionals, from a variety of backgrounds, with a common interest in exploring and improving law's engagement with working families. This will be achieved in two ways:
1.Three one-day seminars: by bringing together interested parties for face-to-face interactions in three inter-related seminars which will explore the challenges of work/family reconciliation.
2.The establishment of a Work/Family Reconciliation Network web-site, which will support the seminar series and provide a virtual space for interactions between interested parties prior to, during and after the seminars series.


Potential applications and benefits
This research network is of relevance to all those interested in work/family reconciliation, be it academics, practitioners, policy makers or the wider community. The initial benefits will be the establishment of links and knowledge transfer between parties, with different skills and backgrounds, interested in promoting effective 'family-friendly' laws. Key speeches from the seminars, which will provide an opportunity to explore ideas and develop strategies for improving law's engagement with working families, will be available on-line and an edited collection or journal special edition will be published at the end of the series.

However, the links initiated during the life-cycle of the funded network will continue and develop further through the creation of the Web-site. The networking as a whole will promote the establishment of a self-sustaining research cluster for consideration of issues relating to work and families: a critical mass of associate researchers who are capable of engaging with government and other policy-makers on issues concerning work and family reconciliation with an ability to, for example, undertake supervision of postgraduate research (through the acquisition of funded studentships) or undertake independent and commissioned research (collaborative/inter and multi-disciplinary).

Who will benefit from this research?
This research network will be of benefit to all those user-communities interested in the legal regulation of working families. This includes;
- Policy and law makers and advisors (e.g. the Government Equalities Office, BERR, solicitors, EHCR)
- Charities (e.g. Maternity Action, the Fatherhood Institute, the Fawcett Society)
- Employers and employee representatives (e.g. British Chamber of Commerce, Confederation of British Industry, trade unions, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development).
- The general public.

How will they benefit?
The research network encourages knowledge-exchange and detailed, on-going assessment of the law thus contributing to an improvement in the regulation of working families. By facilitating the creation of new contacts and providing an on-line forum for information and discussion the network can provide a structure through which user-communities can
(a) keep a targeted audience informed about new research, publications, funding opportunities, legal developments in the UK and in other countries,
(b) promote, engage in or organise further capacity building events,
(c) respond to future policy proposals and legal developments.

This research is of potential benefit to the general public as most people are confronted with the conflict between paid and unpaid work at some stage in the life-cycle. If regulatory amendments are better informed (e.g. about the needs of different cohorts in society), the research network would help improve the quality of regulation in this area and, hence, improve working and living conditions for those who combine unpaid care with paid work.