Things are hotting up in America where flexible working is concerned.
And not before time.
In response to the increasing conflict between work and family life millions of Americans face today, three organisations - BlogHer; the Centre for American Progress and The Huffington Post are teaming up to launch “Make Life Work,” a campaign to raise awareness and promote real solutions to the difficulties faced by families across the United States.
The joint initiative was announced this week at the BlogHer Annual Conference by Stacy Morrison, Editor-in-Chief, BlogHer; Judith Warner, CAP Senior Fellow; and Arianna Huffington, President and Editor-in-Chief, The Huffington Post Media Group.
“These are issues with a deep personal resonance for me as a mother,” said Huffington. “At HuffPost, when it comes to the issues facing the American family, we’re committed to using all the tools at our disposal with the goal of not just telling stories but changing lives. This partnership will allow us to double down on that commitment.”
Rapidly changing demographics, workforce participation, and family makeup have created seismic shifts in American households, but attitudes and policy have not kept up with these changes. For example, in the United States today:
■Only 30 percent of children have a stay-at-home parent
■40.9 percent of women are the breadwinners for their families, as opposed to 11.6 percent in 1967
■Fathers expect to participate and share in the tasks of child rearing, and they are doing so at a rate almost three times what it was in 1965
BlogHer’s upcoming Women and Social Media Study reveals more. It clearly demonstrates that the women who report the highest levels of time poverty are actually those with the most traditional family unit—two parents and children—and that what is sacrificed under such time pressure is personal health and fitness, a choice with serious long-term ramifications for the American health care system; the economy; and, ultimately, the health of future generations.
“I have had a front-row seat to the increasing pressures on the American family when I see BlogHer’s community members openly share their struggles to have sane, normal family lives.” said Stacy Morrison. “ I am thrilled to be partnering with two powerhouses to bring the voices of the blogosphere and beyond to bear on this defining issue of our time.”
BlogHer and The Huffington Post will create content hubs to support a rich body of work and social conversation around the issues of work-life conflict, featuring the voices of average Americans from a broad variety of households, as well as the decision makers who are driving solutions.
“Overwhelming majorities of Americans believe that our government should help support families with measures such as paid leave, access to high-quality early childhood education, and the right to access flexible work arrangements,” said Neera Tanden, President of the Center for American Progress. “’Make Life Work’ will offer a unique opportunity to show how those desires can be made into realities, through both public policy and private-sector workplace change.”
“Make Life Work” aims to show that there are workable solutions that do not overtax business but instead strengthen both our workforce and our economy overall, focusing on key solutions such as:
■Paid parental leave. With the shift in family makeup—adoptive families, gay and lesbian, bisexual, and transgender families, stay-at-home-father families, and the like—now becoming the norm in America, paid family leave is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity.
■The right to request flexibility. The majority of Americans do not have access to flexible work arrangements. The campaign believes it’s time the dialogue between workers and employees needs to change, acknowledging that workers need flexibility to manage certain life and family issues, such as caregiving, medical issues, and more.
