SOC118 Work and Family

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2007
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Beatrice Elena Chromková Manea, M.A., Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Ing. Radim Marada, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Ing. Soňa Enenkelová
Timetable
Mon 10:00–11:40 U34
Prerequisites
The working language is English.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The field of work-family concerns interactions between commitment to employment and family. It also includes issues such as division of housework between men and women, leisure time and activities, and gender roles. The discipline mainly emerged due to the fact that more women and particularly mothers have entered into the workforce. Other factors such as family diversity, formal and informal child care, and reduced or flexible hours employment contributed to the development of this subject as well. The course aims to integrate gender relations into the analysis of family, employment and social policies in order to examine the reconciliation of work and family. While the majority of women work for pay, they also act as primary caregivers for their young children and their elderly parents/relatives. The course will also question the specific workplace-related policies: welfare policies, parental leave, childcare and working time policies. TOPICS TO BE COVERED: o Economic, demographic and social context o Understanding family and household o Understanding work and employment o Gender and welfare state regimes: different typologies o Women and the transition to market economies o The formation of gendered divisions of labor o Sex segregation, waged work and domestic labor o Parenthood and parenting o Work and family balance o Workplace-related policies, welfare policy, parental leave policy, child care policy and working time policies o Employment Equity Legislation in the EU and the Czech Republic
Syllabus
  • Week 1: February 20th 2006 - Course organization Week 2: February 27th 2006 - Economic, demographical and social context Week 3: March 6th 2006 - Understanding family and household Week 4: March 13th 2006 - Understanding work and employment Week 5: March 20th 2006 - Gender and welfare state regimes: different typologies Week 6: March 27th 2006 - Women and the transition to market economies Central and Easter Europe countries Week 7: April 3rd 2006 - The formation of gendered divisions of labor paid-work (public sphere) and housework (private sphere) Week 8: April 10th 2006 - Inequities in the labor force: sex segregation, waged work; sex inequality in pay, promotions, and authority Week 9: April 17th 2006 (Velikoncni pondeli)- Parenthood and parenting Week 10: April 24th 2006 - Balancing and reconciling work and family life. Solution to work - family conflict (Part 1) Week 11: May 1st 2006 - Balancing and reconciling work and family life. Workplace-related policies, parental leave policy, childcare policy and working time policies; gender inequalities addressed by these policies (Part 2) Week 12: May 8th 2006 - Part-time employment, flexible time and home based work as solutions: advantage and disadvantages Week 13: May 15th 2006 - Employment equity and family friendly work polices legislation in EU and Czech Republic
Assessment methods (in Czech)
Each student will choose a research question to explore during the semester, a question he/she is interested in finding out more about it (the topic should be chosen at the beginning of the semester). Other topics related to the field of work and family and not included in the following list can be explored as well. Examples of questions or topics: Sharing equally breadwinning and housework What options do people have when they need care for children or older relatives while they are at work? What are the positive and negative effects of maternal employment on children? Is there any job you would not do, no matter how much you are paid? Do you think that most people would agree with you? Do you think that people of the same sex would be more likely to agree with you than people of the opposite sex? What happens when fathers take parent leave? How have the economic roles of men and women changed? What are the life priorities of todays women and men? Careerism and motherhood are they compatible? How effective are alternative work arrangements for helping mothers combine work and family (e.g., home-based work, telecommuting, part-time work)? What are the conflicts between work and family you find in the Czech Republic? What would be the strategy for improving the lives of women and men both within their family and at their workplaces? How do work-family issues vary by social class, race and ethnicity and family structure? Why do some companies strive to become family-friendly companies? What role can legislation play in the work-family balancing process? Is it economically efficient for the governments to subsidize childcare costs? Why or why not? Should the government provide better policies addressed to all? Should the market (e.g., the private sector) be responsible for these policies? Please express your own opinion but provide convincing arguments covered by the material offered throughout the semester. You should use at least 3 academic articles or books (chapters). You can also utilize materials other than those included in the reader.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2004, Spring 2005, Spring 2006, Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Spring 2010.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2007, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2007/SOC118