Les employeurs, un autre acteur de la politique familiale ? [Un état des lieux de leur participation dans la conciliation vie familiale-vie professionnelle

Abstract

This article considers the aid afforded employees by their employers to reconcile work and family life, an issue rarely treated quantitatively. The authors begin by developing an overview of the various measures proposed in France before analysing their variations according to the characteristics of employer establishments (size, sector, proportion of female employees, public/ private sector, etc.). The measures contributing to the work-family balance have two main features which are not necessarily cumulative : the possibility of flexible working hours on the one hand and benefits (monetary or in kind) on the other. Cash and non-cash benefits tend to be cumulative, in particular in large-scale establishments, although working hours are less flexible. The overall observation is that reconciliation policies are more prevalent in the public sector. The proportion of women among employees also has a positive effect on services offered, albeit less so on working time flexibility, which depends strongly on organisational constraints.