Work and Life Cross-national Differences

How do other countries compare to the U.S. in terms of work and life issues? At least 75 countries (not the U.S., including many developing and all industrialized nations) have maternity leave policies that include the right to time off for pregnancy and childbirth and a paid cash benefit. All of these countries also provide medical and hospital coverage through a national health insurance system.

Sweden Has especially generous parental leave policies for both men and women. Has a broader policy of full employment and gender equality. Strong affirmative action policy that emphasizes putting workers of each sex in jobs that have not been traditional for their sex. A family pays far less tax on two smaller incomes than on one larger income

Sweden’s Work/Family Policies A parental insurance that permits either the father or the mother to take nine months of paid leave and to receive 90% of the normal wage. Parents can extend their leave by taking additional unpaid leave for up to nine months more. Parents can take up to 60 days of paid leave a year per child to care for a sick child. Parents of children under 6 years old can reduce their working time to 6 hrs per day.

More about how GREAT Sweden is! Child care benefits are generous and provided without cost through a system of options for almost any child’s situation. Sweden allows same-sex couples to register their partnerships and receive many of the rights of marriage, except adoption of children.

Germany Women qualify for six weeks of paid maternity leave before the birth of their children and eight weeks afterward It is illegal to fire a pregnant woman or new mother. Either the father or the mother is guaranteed up to three years of unpaid leave for child care. Parents can also take off up to ten paid days a year per child to care for them when they are ill (to a maximum of twenty-five days for families with more than two children).

More about how GREAT life is in Germany! German employees have the highest pay of all industrial nations and work fewer hours annually than any other country. The average workweek in Germany is close to 35 hours. German employees are legally entitled to 4 to 6 weeks of paid vacation time each year, as well as a generous amount of national holidays and extra paid leaves. Gay and lesbian couples may register same-sex partners and have the same inheritance rights as married couples and may take the same last names, but they do not have the same tax advantages and ability to adopt children as heterosexual married couples.

Germany, for example By law, every shop, factory or office with more than five employees must give these employees the right to elect a works council. Almost all management decisions –from hiring and firing employees to changes in working hours, working conditions and introduction of new machinery—must be approved by the works council, to which employees have representation.

France Six months paid maternity leave and unpaid leave of up to three years after birth of a child. Free hospital and medical care before and after birth Bonuses of $2,400 paid to each woman giving birth Free day care for preschool-age infants and children Monthly family allowances to help with costs of raising children

The United Kingdom Least generous maternity policy of all the European Countries Public day care is provided only for the poor or families with special needs

Japan Workers work an average of 2,000 hours per year (38.5 hrs/week). Labor unions are weaker in Japan than in Germany, though stronger than in the U.S. Traditional gender roles still require women to dedicate themselves to their husbands and children. Women are less likely to achieve important positions in the work force. Men are the official heads of the households and perform virtually no domestic chores

Work/Life in Developing Countries Though most industrialized countries provide some family benefits, many less develop countries lack even basic worker rights and health and safety protections. In many countries, child and slave labor is used. The ILO believes that the number of working children has increased since the 1980s, particularly in Africa but also in other poor countries, due to rapid population growth, falling living standards, and shrinking resources for public education.

Work/Life in Developing Countries (cont’d) Many U.S. companies have moved their operations to countries where workers are paid much lower ages and have no benefits. Nike shoes are produced in Serang, Indonesia by workers who are paid $2.28 PER DAY! I am quite suspicious of the author’s description of their “dormitory” living spaces. Many of these women have been “sold off” to the factories by their families –because living standards are so poor.

Maquiladora Workers and Fertility Susan Tiano studied the fertility patterns of women who worked in maquiladoras in Mexico She also analyzed the recruitment policies of two different types of maquiladoras, an electronic factory and an apparel firm. She found that women workers in maquiladoras were limiting their fertility because of their employment responsibilities. Also, electronics factories were more likely to recruit childless workers than apparel factories because the jobs were more desirable. Apparel jobs were often the last resort for single mothers with few other job options.

Taiwan Chin-Chun Yi studied childcare arrangements of employed mothers in Taiwan. Postnatal paid leave benefits are 45 days and only mothers are allowed to take leave. 86.1% of those studied said that no on-site daycare facilities were available at their workplace. Most relied upon family (paternal kin) to care for young children. A discontinuity between office hours and school schedules creates generous hardship for working parents.

China Before 1949, the majority of rural children had mothers who were housewives or who worked near the home. The mobilization of women’s labor in the countryside during the 1950s for service in joint labor projects led to state support for traditional ways in which mothers could lessen the heavy burden of child care. Chinese children also spend a lot of time with their father’s parents. The one-child policy has lessened the burden of child- rearing for Chinese families. In industrial China, the workplace performs a variety of non-economic functions and provides a sense of community. With increasing privatization, these work units are declining in significance. Work/life issues may become more problematic.

What factors determine the policies within countries? Strong labor unions The motives or goals of the country The degree of government intervention in family affairs considered appropriate Beliefs about Gender Equality Attitudes about children’s needs The class structure of a society