Aperçu

Résumé (français)

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Résumé (anglais)

Magazine articles, talk shows, and commercials advise us that our happiness and well-being rest on striking a balance between work and family. It goes unsaid, however, that the advice is based on an outmoded and unrealistic ideal. A Life in Balance? shows that in order to truly resolve work-family issues, we must consider work and family life as overlapping aspects of a single existence, rather than as separate and competing spheres. In this volume, experts and activists from law, sociology, women’s studies, labour studies, and social work transcend prevailing myths by exploring how paid work (employment) and unpaid work (caregiving and housework) continue to be set against each other, particularly in support of neo-liberal agendas. They examine alternative approaches to integrating family and paid work — stay-at-home fathers, family policy in Quebec, and work and care in Aboriginal communities — which must be considered if we are to build a truly equitable national childcare policy.