Friendliness of family-friendly measures : a study with service providers and service receivers

Abstract

Juggling family and work commitments is a daily challenge faced by parents who strive to integrate their full-time occupation with the upbringing of their children. This study presents findings obtained from service users (families from the South East District) and service providers of family-friendly measures. It examines to what extent family-friendly measures are serving their purpose in the context of families that seek to integrate work and family responsibilities by assessing four main measures; maternity leave, parental leave, flexible working hours and childcare facilities. The main technique used to obtain findings was mainly of a qualitative nature. Simultaneously, though, quantitative questions were also incorporated in order to provide the required statistical data. The majority of findings, which were obtained through a face-to-face interview approach, concur with the outcome of other studies found in the literature review. What this study concludes, in fact, is that the current Maltese policies addressing work-life balance still lack the dynamism required to meet the family's daily needs. This study, therefore, seeks to give a number of recommendations that could serve to ameliorate the present situation by making family-friendly measures friendlier for service users.