Perceptions of work-family balance: how effective are family-friendly policies?

The increase in the proportion of mothers with young children returning to paid employment has generated considerable interest in how women juggle the demands of the workplace with the demands of family. Making workplaces more family-friendly has potential benefits for both employees and employers, but research findings are mixed about the take-up rate of such benefits and the outcomes for improving work-family balance. In this paper, we analyse data collected from 1688 women employed in the service sector in Queensland. We examine whether women’s perceptions of work-family balance are affected by access to and use of a range of family-friendly work entitlements including part-time employment, subsidized child care, various types of leave, control over rosters and variations in weekly employment hours. Our findings indicate that negative perceptions of work-family balance are linked to long work hours, having to work extra hours and unpredictable work hours. This suggests that what women need most is control over the length and scheduling of their working hours.