일-생활 균형을 위한 유럽연합의 정책동향과 한국에의 함의

Work-Life Balance : EU's Policies and Their Implications

The boundaries between paid employment, unpaid domestic/care labor, and personal time are more and more crossed over. Mainstream theories of social welfare, however, have continuously neglected gender division of welfare, dynamics of paid work and unpaid care work, and time for human capital investments throughout the life course in general. Meaningful reorientation and modifying research have been performed mainly by feminist scholars and intellectuals who delve into future of work. These efforts are, therefore, changing and integrating the complex dynamics that are shaping the private and public domains and life experiences of post-industrial societies. So-called work-family reconciliation and work-life balance have been paid special attention to in several member states of European Union in the 21st century. This paper goes over the trends and characteristics of recent implementation of diverse policies for work-family reconciliation and work-life balance, mainly focusing on flexible working-time options at workplace. Particularly, shift from long working-hour culture, good quality part-time work, and flexible scheduling of work are examined. Then some implications for Korean society will be drawn.