By John Paul Marosy, President
Bringing Elder Care Home LLC
jpmarosy@charter.net
(508) 854-0431

Second in a Series: Work and Family - A Public Concern

The Project on Global Working Families at the Harvard School of Public Health recently issued a report, The Work, Family, and Equity Index - Where Does the U.S. Stand Globally? In this series, we share excerpts from this report that relate to elder care/work balance. You can obtain the full report at www.globalworkingfamilies.org. We welcome your feedback and we will share the comments we receive with our readers.

"What can we do to improve how the needs of all working families, but particularly low-income families, are met? The United States' experience provides an important example. While some corporations have implemented important family benefits, voluntary private sector initiatives have not reached the large majority of the nation's working families. Employer-sponsored child care in the U.S. is available to only one in eight employees, and even programs that offer tax savings for those able to pay for their own child care (that is, middle and upper class workers) are available to only three in ten people. Elder care assistance referrals are provided to only one in four families.

"The failure of the private sector to solve the work family problem should not be surprising. There are many needed services that no one would ever expect companies to supply. Most nations have not relied on companies to provide an education for the employees' children… In addition, most countries have not relied solely on businesses to maintain basic standards at work. Many of the basic steps taken to protect workers, such as health and safety regulations, workman's compensation, and anti-discrimination measures, have included the roles of both government and business. Since private sector efforts cannot be expected to fulfill the needs of working parents alone, the Index (the Work, Family and Equity Index - ed.) was developed to examine performance of the public sector.

"While it may be argued that without enforcement, legislation and policies will have limited impact, having protective legislation in place is a necessary first step toward improving working conditions. While single firms of their own initiative develop improved work place policies, their voluntary efforts are unlikely to result in universal coverage for employees. Even when benefits to society would be significant, firms have little incentive to improve working conditions and benefits; in fact, there is often a disincentive if it means the company will have to bear the cost while its competitors may choose not to provide any coverage. Passage of legislation is thus necessary to increase the likelihood of implementation, even if the policy is not fully enforced. At a minimum, having legislation in place can support workers' demands for better treatment."

John Paul Marosy
Editor and President,
Bringing Elder Care Home, LLC

John Paul Marosy is the author of Elder Care: A Six Step Guide to Balancing Work and Family, available from Bringing Elder Care Home Publishing online at www.bringingeldercarehome.com or by calling 508-854-0431. Visit www.bringingeldercarehome.com or call or email today to learn how your organization can offer this effective resource: (508) 854-0431 or jpmarosy@bringingeldercarehome.com

This newsletter may be reprinted in whole or in part so long as the author, John Paul Marosy, is credited and the Web site address, www.bringingeldercarehome.com, is provided.