Reconciliation between work and family life: the situation before the emergency and the opportunity to seize

Abstract

The health emergency, started in March 2020, has greatly stressed the family and work organization. Suddenly, some services (formal or informal) were no longer available and, when possible, work at home was introduced. The daily activities usually carried out by parents and children in (very) distant places, took place in the same space. The emergency was a dramatic event, which, however, could represent an opportunity to change habits and to experiment with new forms of work. Once back to a normal situation, the ways of working introduced by necessity could became a lesson learned on the importance of choosing how and where to work to reconcile work and family life. Using the data from Eurostat’s ad hoc module ‘Reconciliation between work and family life’, the article shows Italian households’ situation before the health emergency and compares it with that of the other European countries. Finally, the importance of gender equality policies will be underlined, to promote the sharing of care responsibilities and the adoption of flexible work arrangements, in order to increase caregivers’ participation in the labour market, especially, of women.