Reconciliation of Work and Private Life in the UK

This report is organised into two sections, in line with the work programme designed for the national reports for the EGGSIE network. In Part 1 we review the reconciliation policies available, highlighting the extent to which state level provision is enhanced at the company level and the usage of available measures. In Part 2 we discuss the impact of reconciliation policy for the individual, firms and society as a whole. The focus of the work programme, and hence this report, is upon reconciliation in relation to children, which is where most of the policy effort has occurred to date. However, a number of the provisions and issues raised in this report also relate to broader debates about reconciliation of employment with private life more generally, both for those with other forms of care responsibilities such as elder care, and for other activities (civic service, lifelong learning, sport and leisure etc).