Reconciliation Of Work Research Articles

"Workfare" in the Triangle: Local Context and Employer Biases Against Welfare Recipients

The Personal Responsibility and Work Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) was passed in 1996 in the U.S. and, through devolution of the administration of welfare programs from the federal to the state and local levels, these programs have taken on various forms and yielded results and outcomes that vary geographically This qualitative study of employer attitudes provides a better understanding of how local context affects the outcomes of a "workfare" program using a case study in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. It focuses on a group of hospitality sector employers in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill MSA and their attitudes toward their employees, with emphasis on welfare recipients and Hispanic immigrants. Results suggest that these employers: (1) are frustrated with implementation of the WorkFirst Program, (2) have a deep-seated perception of an overall poor work ethic in the "workfare" applicant pool, and (3) have a very favorable perception of the work ethic of their immigrant workers.

Myth and Identity in the Epic of Imperial Spain

Myth and Identity in the Epic of Imperial Spain. By Elizabeth B. Davis. Columbia: U of Missouri P, 2000. 244 pages. La epics colonial. By Juan Bautista de Avalle-Arce. Anejos de Rilce 35. Pamplona: U de Navarra, 2000. 116 pages. Both studies propose a canon of epic poems encourage readers revisit a corpus that, with the exception of La Araucana, failed attract significant attention in late twentieth-century literary studies. Yet throughout the Early Modern period, the epic form retained its cultural capital; in fact, Frank Pierce's catalogue lists some 150 different Spanish poems (not counting reprints and translations) published in the seventeenth century alone (Davis 3). As her point of departure, Elizabeth Davis historicizes and theorizes the process of canon formation that marginalized Spanish-language epics, and then urges scholars and students examine anew the narrative poetry that imperial agents used to forge a sense of unity and script cultural identities during the period of expansion and conquest (10). She then provides five chapters, each of which reads a poem using historical analysis and literary theory. Specialists will want read the whole study, as Davis builds important theoretical and thematic bridges that link the different sections; at the same time, each chapter could stand alone as a case study for a graduate seminar because of the clarity with which Davis explains her methodology. The first chapter argues against David Quint's influential classification of La Araucana as an epic of the defeated, tracing Ercilla's project as it evolved from part I (1569) part III (1589); over two decades, Davis finds an increasingly panegyrical view of the Habsburg state. In this regard, she analyzes how the poet marshals a discourse of service script a relationship Philip II, drawing attention a little-known prefatory letter found in the princeps, but not reprinted in editions after 1579. Also in support of her thesis, Davis contemplates the poet's strategy of self-- positioning when he narrates the execution of Caupolican. As well, she draws connections sixteenth-century political theory argue that the poem represents the Mapuches as barbarians whom the Spanish monarchy has a providential justification subdue. One demurral with this chapter is the use of the adjective modernist classify the poet's position (59); theoretically correct, it seems so firmly associated with the past century that early-modernist might be preferable, if less wieldy. Nevertheless, the analysis of Ercilla as a contradictory subject provides a convincing demonstration of La Araucana's participation in Habsburg myth-making. The second chapter reads Juan Rufo's La Austriada through the filter of Renaissance theories on imitation. In a tour de force of explication, Davis sifts through the stock lexical items and newer, Ercillan set pieces that Rufo borrows narrate the battle of Lepanto. I would recommend this section anyone learning interpret Early Modern poetry, because it brings alive the process of writing through the imitation and emulation of authorities. The chapter also discusses how the poem interrupts its own celebration of Lepanto with a narration of the tragic aftermath of the Alpujarras rebellion. Chapter iii most explicitly confronts the problems that critics today face when reading Early Modern Spanish epics. Analyzing Cristobal de Virues's El Montserrate, Davis uses a feminist, resistant reader as a heuristic device with which interpret the foundational narrative built on rape and murder. While she validates resistance the work's reconciliation of rape and murder within a national teleology, Davis also draws attention the rhetorical and narrative elements of the hagiographies that would have framed an Early Modern reader's reception of this story. The fourth chapter contemplates Diego de Hojeda's La Christiada. Davis begins with a discussion of the theological underpinnings of the Dominican friar's epic of the Passion, discussing medieval debates about representations of the suffering messiah as they played out, first in Dominican circles in Europe, and then in Hojeda's American milieu. …

Patterns in Family Policy Preferences in the European Union

This study empirically examines the relationship between national context and individual preferences for national policy priorities related to improving family life within the European Union. Using data from the Eurobarometer survey, logistic regression models indicate that public opinion about nine potential priorities (housing, economic prospects, education, flexible work hours, childcare, tax advantages, child allowances, parental leave, and contraception) parallels an ideological subscription to traditional gender roles, the level of economic prosperity, and the degree and type of state support for families with children. We also field that women are more concerned about policies that enhance the reconciliation of work and family, while men are more concerned about policies that support their traditional breadwinner duties

The International Regulation of Maternity: Still Waiting for the Reconciliation of Work and Family Life

This article analyses the revised Maternity Protection Convention, adopted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in June this year. The new convention is placed in the context of two trends. The first is the historical development of the cognisance of care responsibilities at the international level, from the early 'maternity protection' approach to more recent calls for a radical shift in the integration of work and care. It is argued that the ILO's rule-making continues to reflect an ideology of the 'separate spheres' of work and family, to the detriment of the interests of working women and men who have/wish to care for others. The second trend is the gradual evolution of the ILO's standard-setting function towards a focus on a small number of core rights. The deep ideological divisions which shaped this trend are also evident in the debates over the new Maternity Convention. In particular, appeals to national sovereignty and economic arguments were crucial in limiting the ILO's approach to maternity and care responsibilities. It is argued that there remains a legitimate role for the ILO in establishing aspirational standards, particularly where unregulated economic forces have not proved successful in bringing about the changes needed for true equality of opportunity and outcomes for women and men.

Teen Women in Action: A Case of Theoretical Praxis in the Daily Lives of Young Women

Outside of academia, there is no one job description or standard role for applied anthropologists. We work in various roles and divergent occupations, contributing anthropological knowledge and skills in our chosen realms. I chose advocacy and action aimed at improving the lives of women, particularly low income women living in urban settings. I have approached this role in phases—combining intense research, critical hands-on learning, community orientation, action and advocacy. Throughout this ongoing process, theory and practice have metamorphosed from separate entities into a united state of theoretical praxis. The initial phase of intense research revolved around social policy and problems related to low income women living in urban areas. At this juncture, the welfare reform policy was of particular interest and became the focus of my research. A detailed analysis of the 1996 legislation, the Personal Responsibility and Work Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), including an analysis of its provisions, economic saliency for recipients, and scholarly contributions to the issue, brought me to the conclusion that much needed to be done in this realm to work toward economic self sufficiency and justice for women.

Innovative agreements on equal oppportunities: new horizons of collective bargaining?

The project revealed a broad and impressive range of innovative and encouraging equal opportunities agreements and provisions. In light of the concept of 'mainstreaming' and seeing equal opportunities as a strategic issue related to all aspects of the work organisation, the most far-reaching provisions are on organisational cultureslstructures, continuing with provisions focused on job access and the elimination of sex segregation in recruitment, promotion and training. Closely linked to these measures challenging gender hierarchies are provisions on pay equity. Provisions on sexual harassment are a new element in collective agreements covering the working environment. All these measures on improving gender equality in working life are complimented by collective bargaining on reconciliation of work and family life, covering issues such as parental leave, family leave, child care and adaptation of working time arrangements. These encouraging examples demonstrate how collective bargaining can promote equal opportunities. In addition, the innovative potential of equal opportunities agreements and provisions can be a promising stimulus to traditional bargaining.

Parental Leave and Equal Opportunities: Experiences in Eight European Countries

In June 1996, the EU directive on parental leave came into force. A major consideration in the introduction of this directive was its advantages for the reconciliation of work and family life. However, there is little systematic knowledge about the practical significance of parental leave arrangements in the European Union for equal opportunities policy. Given this situation, the main focus of this article is on empirical issues such as the number of (male and female) leavetakers and the length of the leave. In order to present comparative data, a user rate is calculated for eight European countries. It appears that the majority of leavetakers are women; even in Nordic countries there are big differences between the user rates of men and women. As a result, the importance of the actual parental leave arrangements for equal opportunities seems rather dubious.

Stress and Adaptation Among Male and Female Single Parents

The reconciliation of work and family demands places unusual stress on many single-parent families. Using a 1995 random sample of single fathers ( n = 346) and single mothers ( n = 364) in military communities, we explored the relationship between gender and the ability of parents to manage work and family responsibilities. Using ANOVA and discriminant function analyses, we found no gender differences in the proportion of single parents who perceived they were successful at managing family and work responsibilities. However, there were significant gender differences in how men and women use supportive, financial, and organizational resources and how each parent adapts to the inherent demands of competing work and family roles.

Some Sex-Neutral and Sex-Specific Factors Related to Employment Among Substance Abuse Clients

Workfare programs, designed to implement the 1996 federal Personal Responsibility and Work Reconciliation Act, raise anew the issue of the employability of substance abusers. The present study explores this issue by examining factors potentially related to the employment status at intake of 1274 men and 804 women admitted for substance abuse treatment to the Center for Comprehensive Health Practice in New York City from July 1995 through December 1997. It was found that men were more likely to be employed than women. For both sexes, employment was positively related to education and stable housing. For men, employment was negatively related to having a mobility impairment; for women, it was negatively related to their number of children and being pregnant. For each sex, variables significantly associated with employment were used to construct a “work barriers” scale. For both sexes, employment was negatively related to number of work barriers. Women generally faced more barriers than men, accounting for their lower employment rate. Public policy and research implications of the findings are discussed.

Equal Opportunity between Men and Women: The Case of France

The article deals with the implementation of equal opportunities and positive action in the field of work in France. After presenting a few characteristic trends of the evolution of the status of women on the labor market, the author presents the legal and policy framework of professional equality in France. She then discusses the positive action strategies which have been implemented by firms and explores reasons for their relative scarcity. In a final section, she deals with the recent evolution of the labor market. The rapid growth in part time employment could be seen as a possible solution to the problem of reconciling work and family life. However, in practice, the two processes, reconciliation of work and family life and the development of atypical forms of employment may combine to restructure the labor market in such a way that the inequalities affecting particular categories of women become cumulative.

Flexible working patterns: towards reconciliation of family and work

Observes that historically, family and work were not separated in pre‐industrial societies in which life was a united whole, but that family and work are gradually becoming separated in industrial societies, as work becomes dependent, production becomes centralized, and the relationship of the individual with work impersonal. In Greece there is still some evidence of close relations between family and work due to the large number of very small family firms and the high proportion of the population working in small family farming lots. However, a large percentage of the population work in full‐time traditional jobs. Flexible working patterns such as part‐time, flexi‐time, annual working hours, parental leaves, job sharing, variable working time, telework, condensed working week, as well as contract, pay and task flexibility are not so extensively used in Greece and it is only since 1990 that they are gaining ground. Flexibility at work is a major tool in enhancing economic performance, fighting unemployment and promoting competitiveness. Apart from that, flexibility is needed because it can prove very useful in harmonizing family life with work obligations, provided it takes into consideration family needs, parental obligations and the right of employees to a better quality of life. Presents the current situation on work flexibility in Greece and examines these aspects of flexibility which can prove useful not only in enhancing economic performance but in providing better conditions for the reconciliation between family and work.

The Food Stamp Program, Welfare Reform, and the Aggregate Economy

The passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity and Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 swept away nearly six decades of federal welfare policy. The act eliminated the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) entitlement program, replacing it with a fixed block grant giving states a fundamental role in assisting poor families and added significant new work requirements for recipients. Although often overlooked in the extensive media coverage, the Food Stamp Program was changed fundamentally by the PRWORA. The size of the Food Stamp Program is expected to decrease by about $22 billion from 1997 to 2002. This is over half the

Appropriate Policy for Gender Equality in Employment: Insights from the ILO Interdepartmental Project on Equality for Women in Employment*

Using insights from the recent ILO Interdepartmental Project on Equality for Women in Employment, the article portrays gender inequality in the work situation as a complex issue requiring a number of interlinked strategies within a comprehensive proactive policy framework for its effective tackling. Interventions are required in: legal framework and enforcement; labour market, training and the general macro and micro-economic context; working conditions and reconciliation of work and family responsibilities; social security coverage; women's representation in decision-making; women's mobilization and participation in workers' and employers' organizations; and roles and concerted action by governments, employers, workers' organizations and other relevant bodies of civil society. Relevant statistical measurement instruments, concepts and up-to-date sex-disaggregated data are necessary for accurate assessment and monitoring. The creation of a supportive legislative framework, for example, involves reflecting gender equality in labour laws as well as in family and marriage, inheritance, contract, property ownership, national constitution and customary laws since the latter also influence women's economic situation and in some situations are even more important than the former.

The sense of a right to the reconciliation: work and personal and family life in a local authority staff

This article presents the main results of qualitative research on the sense that peoplehave of the right to public support for the reconciliation of work and personaland family life, in the case of staff of a local authority in northern-central Portugalthat is the object of an equality plan. The authors conclude that: the sense that thereal content of rights is small is reflected in a limited awareness of the obligationsthat pertain to the state, employers and society in general when it comes to providingservices and support for the family; reconciliation problems are individualisedand privatised; people have low expectations as to the support they are likely toreceive from their employer and the state; and they are thus unlikely to mobiliseand demand access to rights.