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Business Environment. Lecture 1 4 ( L1/S2) – Opportunities in BE Milena Malinowska. Definitions. Work-life balance is a central social and economic issue of modern societies Equality of opportunity is not only a democratic virtue
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Business Environment Lecture 14(L1/S2) – Opportunities in BE Milena Malinowska
Definitions • Work-life balance is a central social and economic issue of modern societies • Equality of opportunity is not only a democratic virtue • Both concepts gained importance, because they enhance the ageing labour force • Employment figures • Legislation
Work-Life Balance • Proportion of time spent on paid work (employment) against time spent on leisure activities (social life, family activities, sports etc.) • Depends on: • Culture • Technology • Occupation • Position • Gender?
Equality of opportunity • People should be provided with equal access to education and the labor market, but • Choices should remain personal • Employers should choose employees on the basis of talent, skills and qualification • Discrimination (based on sex, race, religion, age, disability, ethnicity etc.) hampers equality • It is illegal in most Western democracies
Regulating equality • EU – human rights protection is central to the politics of the EU: • Copenhagen criteria • The Charter of Fundamental Rights • European Court of Human Rights • UK – Equality and Human Rights Commission • http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/about-us/vision-and-mission/ • BG – Center for Human Rights • http://chr-bg.org/about.php
Gender patterns in employment • The share of working women has risen dramatically since the 1970s, however: • Most of the part-time positions are occupied by women? • Most women with small children are less likely to be employed (Source: BG – nsi.bg; UK: Wetherly&Otter, 2011)
Gender patterns in employment (2) • ‘Occupational segregation’ refers to the concentration of one of the genders: • Horizontal – concentration into types of jobs • Vertical – concentration into upper/lower positions (Source: BG – nsi.bg; UK: Wetherly&Otter, 2011)
Gender patterns in employment (3) • Women are concentrated into lower paid positions and part time jobs (UK) • On average, women earn less • The gender ‘pay gap’ is in favour of men: • UK: 21.5% • BG: 10.7% (Source: BG – nsi.bg; UK: Wetherly&Otter, 2011)
Hofstede on gender roles • Hofstede defines the MAS index of a society as the main motivation for work: • High score = people are motivated by their will to succeed and ‘be the best’ • Low score = people are motivated, because they enjoy their work
Social aspect of WLB • The ‘ageing’ population creates shortage of people on the labour market, hence the whole economy suffers • Work has intensified • Governments introduce policies to stimulate employment, by making conditions more favourable
Legislation • The Working Time Directive • 48 working hours per week • 4 weeks of paid annual leave • 11 hours of rest (out of 24 hours) • Maternity & Paternity Leave • Parental Leave