The Myth of Work-Life Balance

Many regard the ways in which paid work can be combined or'balanced' with other parts of life as an individualconcern and a small, rather self-indulgent problem in today'sworld. Some feel that worrying about a lack of time or energy forfamily relationships or friendships is a luxury or secondary issuewhen compared with economic growth or development. In the businessworld and among many Governments around the world, the importanceof paid work and the primacy of economic competitiveness, whateverthe personal costs, is almost accepted wisdom. Profits and shortterm efficiency gains are often placed before social issues of careor human dignity.
But what about the impact this has on men and women's wellbeing, or the long-term sustainability of people, families, societyor even the economy? Drawing from interviews and group meetings inseven diverse countries - India, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, the UK and USA - this book explores themultiple difficulties in combining paid work with other parts oflife and the frustrations people experience in diverse settings. There is a myth that 'work-life balance' can beachieved through quick fixes rather than challenging the place ofpaid work in people's lives and the way work actually getsdone. As well as exploring contemporary problems, this bookattempts to seed hope and new ways of thinking about one of the keychallenges of our time.