What workplace obstacles do men face in striking a better balance between work and family responsibilities? What kinds of working practices and legislative measures have proved effective at facilitating men’s more active involvement in care-giving?
These questions were central to the Fostering Caring Masculinities (FOCUS) project (2005-7), funded by the European Commission. Five countries were involved in the study: Germany, Iceland, Slovenia, Spain and Norway. Each country carried out two national studies – one of a public company, the other of a private one – based on interviews with company representatives (managers, human resources staff, and trade union representatives).
The findings, which were presented at a conference in 2006, revealed that very few measures exist targeted specifically at men to enable their participation in family activities and caring tasks. The Norwegian offices of Microsoft, which actively encourages male employees to share parental leave equally with their partner, was the only exception.
Several recommendations emerged from the studies. The first is that increased flexibility is key to achieving a better work/family life balance for male employees – for example through allowing job sharing or working from home. In particular, it was felt that male managers should be encouraged to make use of measures such as paternity leave, to set a positive role model. Other suggestions included: providing work-life balance training for men, offering special paid days off work to fathers with young children, and ensuring that a playroom and family canteen are available at the workplace. On the basis of the findings, practical tools and guidelines are being developed, including a workshop module on work-life balance designed for men.
The project’s website contains links to each of the national reports, as well as to the overview report which synthesises the findings from the national studies, and the conference report.