Weldon-Johns, Michelle --- "Comparative Lessons on Work–Family Conflict – Swedish Parental Leave versus American Parental Leave" [2011] ELECD 868; in Busby, Nicole; James, Grace (eds), "Families, Care-giving and Paid Work" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2011)

Book Title: Families, Care-giving and Paid Work

Editor(s): Busby, Nicole; James, Grace

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781849802628

Section: Chapter 7

Section Title: Comparative Lessons on Work–Family Conflict – Swedish Parental Leave versus American Parental Leave

Author(s): Weldon-Johns, Michelle

Number of pages: 19

Extract:

7. Comparative lessons on the work­
family conflict ­ Swedish parental
leave versus American family leave
Michelle Weldon-Johns

Two broad legislative approaches have been adopted by countries in order
to address the work­family conflict: the introduction of specific work­
family rights, and equality-based legislation. These contrasting approaches
similarly aim to address inequalities between the sexes and to challenge
traditional gender roles. This poses the question as to which may better
enable working families to address their work­family conflicts. In order to
critically examine this issue, the Swedish and USA work­family rights, as
examples of each approach, will be analysed using the work­family typol-
ogy classification model. Drawing from welfare state regime literature,
which classifies these countries in opposing ways, this model focuses specifi-
cally on indicators relevant to the work­family conflict. There are two
significant findings from this analysis: firstly, despite the objectives of the
legislation, both packages of rights reinforce traditional gender roles; and
secondly, both countries display greater similarities than their welfare state
classifications would otherwise suggest.


THE WORK­FAMILY TYPOLOGY CLASSIFICATION
MODEL
The work­family typology classification model (at Table 7.1) adopts a
focused approach towards analysing the work­family conflict using three
classification indicators to critically interrogate work­family rights and
classify them into one of three ideal-type typologies: the family care model,
working family model and gender roles. The family care model is concerned
with the types of caring situations and carers included within national
legislation. To ...