Completed Projects

Latest news
This research has led to a new project, "Gender, parenthood and the changing European workplace", which started in January 2003.

Dates and duration of research project
October 1996 - September 1998. 24 months

Book based on project
A book based on this project has been published (November 2002). View the details of "Young Europeans, Work and Family: Futures in Transition" here or click here to go to the publishers

Location of project
Manchester Metropolitan University

Funding organisation
Co-funded by the European Community as part of the Fourth Medium Term Community Action Programme on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men

Names and titles of project directors
Professor Suzan Lewis

Other staff
Dr Janet Smithson,
Professor Julia Brannen,
Dr Maria das Dores Guerreiro,
Professor Pat O'Connor,
Dr Clarissa Kugelberg,
Dr Ann Nilsen.

Contact person
Janet Smithson (j.smithson@mmu.ac.uk) Department of Psychology, MMU, Hathersage Road, Manchester M13 OJA

Background

The project investigated issues in the reconciliation of employment and family life for young people (aged 18-30) who were employed, unemployed or in full time education in five European countries - Ireland, Portugal, Sweden, Norway and the UK. It examined young people's orientations to the present and future with respect to their "careers" as partners, parents and workers; and, in respect of education/training and new technology, leisure and life interests. It addressed equal opportunities issues, flexible and "family friendly" employment measures provided by employers and the state, social exclusion and integration.

Aims

1. To examine the orientations to employment, training, career and family, and current or anticipated needs concerning the reconciliation of family and employment, among young men and women (18-30) in different member states.
2. To identify factors contributing to decisions about occupational trajectories for this generation and to examine ways in which young men and women construct time horizons in diverse contexts
3. To consider how workplace supports and public policies can be developed to meet young people's needs to reconcile economic activity and family life, however, constructed; providing equal opportunities in paid work and opportunities for involvement in family work for both men and women, in tune with the values and needs of this generation.
4. To highlight examples of good practice in employer policies and practices in relation to work and family, as identified by younger men and women, and to establish which policies or benefits are most valued by young workers. This will provide essential information for the planning of future social and organisational policy.
5. To examine young people's expectations of the role of trade unions, public policy and employers in relation to reconciliation of family and employment; their perceptions of the relative responsibilities of each and the scope for developing supports through social partnerships in a range of European contexts.
6. To evaluate the methodological approach and to extend it to other member states.
7. To disseminate the findings of the investigation of young people's perceptions to all the social partners via workshops, reports and an international seminar.

Project design and method

Focus groups: Focus groups were carried out with a range of young people (aged 18-30) in the five participating European countries to assess general attitudes and needs of young people with respect to anticipated and current issues in reconciling occupational and family life. Interviews: The more specific attitudes and experiences of young men and women, and the themes emerging from the focus groups, were explored in depth via a series of semi-structured interviews.

Publications

A book based on this project is available:
Brannen, J., Lewis, S., Nilsen, A. and Smithson, J. (eds) "Young Europeans, Work and Family: Futures in Transition", (2001), published by Routledge, December 2001.
Click here for further details
Click here to go to the publishers

Project report and key findings (in English or Portuguese):
Lewis, S., Smithson, J., Brannen, J., das Dores Guerreiro, M., Kugelberg, C., Nilsen, A., O'Connor, P., (1998), Futures on hold: Young Europeans talk about combining work and family life. (available from IOD research group, Manchester Metropolitan University).

Lewis, S., Smithson, J., Brannen, J., das Dores Guerreiro, M., Kugelberg, C., Nilsen, A., O'Connor, P. (1999), Futuros en suspenso: Jovens Europeus falam acerca da conciliaÁao entre trabalho e familÌa. (available from Lisboa: ISCTE).

Edition of Sociologia: Problemas e Praticas (vol 27, 1998) includes a dossier about the project, titled "Jovens europeus e o futuro: emprego e vida familiar" edited by Maria das Dores Guerreiro.

Other publications include:
Kugelberg, C. (2000), Young adult life with and without limits. Different discourses around becoming adult among Swedish young people. Nordic Journal of Youth.

Kugelberg, C. (forthcoming) Discourses of Young Swedes of their future work and family life. Community, Work & Family.

Lewis, S. and Brannen, J. (2000), Forever Young? In Wilkinson, H. (ed), The family "business". London: Demos.

Lewis, S., Smithson, J. and Brannen, J. (1998), "Young Europeans' orientations to families and work". The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 562: 83-97.

Nilsen, A. (1999), Where is the future? Time and space as categories in analyses of young people's images of the future. Innovation. 12/2: 175-194.

O'Connor, P. (1999), Power, Equality and Difference: the perspective of young Europeans. Paper presented at International Conference on Women's Worlds, Tromso, Norway

Smithson, J. (2000), Using and analysing focus groups: limitations and possibilities. International Journal of Methodology: Theory and Practice. (in press).

Smithson, J. (1999), Equal choices, different futures: Young adults talk about work and family expectations. In Psychology of Women Section Review 1/2: 43-57.

Smithson, J. and Lewis, S. (2000), Is job insecurity changing the psychological contract? Young people's expectations of work. In Personnel Review (In press).

Smithson, J. and Lewis, S. (1998), "Young adults' experiences and expectations of work: implications for the future". International work psychology conference 1998 Book of Proceedings. University of Sheffield.

Smithson, J., Lewis, S. and Brannen, J. (1997):Young worker's perceptions of Insecurity at Work, and Perceived Implications for Future Management of Work and Family Life. Management Research News, Vol 21, No 2/3.

Workshop proceedings "Jovens, emprego e vida familiar: que futuro?" (Young Generations, employment and family: what future?") In Conference proceedings for International Conference on "Work, Families and Intergenerational Solidarity. Lisbon December 1998

Key findings

• Overall, job insecurity, whether real or perceived, and its effects, is the major factor influencing the way these young people think about future employment and family life.
• Trends such as longer periods in education, and growth in non permanent work, are making it difficult for young people to anticipate or plan for future employment and family life.
• It is more appropriate to talk about work-life than work-family priorities for this age group as few have current caring commitments and many find it difficult to anticipate these. But they do have significant work-life priorities at this time and value quality of life both within and beyond paid work.
• Women's and men's expectations are converging to some extent. Women in all the groups expect employment to be part of their current and future lives. Many of the men, especially the more educated, say they hope to share family work. But equality between men and women in the labour market and the home is still a "virtual reality" for many young people, even in the Scandinavian countries where there is much policy support for egalitarian roles.
• Notions of careers and job security are being redefined. There is no expectation of jobs for life, but without some job security it is difficult to plan for the future.
• A new "psychological contract" appears to be emerging between young people and employers: an expectation of flexible working hours that leave time for interests and demands outside of work, and opportunities for developing skills and employability, without lifelong commitment.
• Flexible employment contracts erode entitlements to statutory entitlements such as maternity/parental leave. Many young people feel that employers use short term contracts to avoid providing such entitlement; this leads to lack of trust and confidence in employers.
• The work-family arrangements the participants think they will adopt if they have young children vary both between and within countries, reflecting social policy variations. Their expectations are based on attitudes ranging from a modern view, most typical in Sweden and Norway, which endorses employment for both parents and the use of external daycare (more widely available than in the other countries), to a traditional view most prevalent among the Irish participants, which favours mothers at home.
• Many young people have low expectations of support from employers for the reconciliation of paid work and family. They do expect some working time flexibility but other support is only expected if they recognise that it is in employers' interest to provide this.
• Support from the state for reconciling paid work and family is taken for granted in Sweden and Norway, but far less so in the other countries. However growing awareness of different state policies across Europe is raising expectations among those in countries with lower levels of provisions. But the growth of atypical employment contracts is reducing expectations of employment protection and benefits, which are based on permanent employment.
• Most of these young people cannot imagine a role for trade unions in supporting the reconciliation of employment and family life.