Everyone is trying to balance work and other commitments. This review focuses particularly on working parents and the people they work for. We all benefit from the contribution working parents make to our prosperity. The UK's competitiveness depends increasingly on the knowledge and skills of people. In today's tight labour market we need more people who want, and are able, to work.
Business needs to draw on a deep and diverse pool of skills and experience.
To the great benefit of our economy, more mothers now choose to work outside the home, for financial reasons and rewarding jobs. In two-thirds of families both parents work outside the home, up from under a half in the 1980s. To the great benefit of the family, many fathers spend more time with their children and want to do even more. However, the decision for both parents to work is not cost free. People take seriously their responsibilities to their families and to their employer but often these responsibilities compete.