Anthropological study of work-life balance policies and practices: A case of the Netherlands

本研究旨在探讨促进“工作与生活平衡”的政策与人们日常行为之间的相互关系。因此，一系列新的劳工立法缩小了全职和非全职工作之间在权利、福利和收入方面的差距。兼职已经成为荷兰女性的标准工作方式，尤其是那些有孩子的女性，作为一种将工作和家庭结合起来的可行策略。对各种调查、政策文件的分析以及对荷兰男女的深入访谈表明，荷兰目前的状况并不是所谓的“工作与生活平衡”政策或经济需求的简单结果。相反，妇女进入劳动力市场的人数增加和她们对非全时合同的偏爱是社会价值观念、经济状况、立法措施的变化以及妇女重新确定其社会地位的日益强烈的愿望的复杂相互作用的结果。

This study has aimed to explore the inter-relatedness between policies concerning the promotion of "work-life balance" and people's daily practices. A series of new labour legislations consequently narrowed the gap in rights, benefits and earnings between full-time and part-time work. Part-time employment has become the standard way of working for Dutch women, especially those with children, as a viable strategy to combine work and family.The analysis of various surveys, policy documents as well as in-depth interviews with Dutch women and men revealed the fact that the current Dutch situation is not a simple outcome of so-called "work-life balance" policies or economic demands. Rather, the increase of women's entry into the labour market and their preferences for part-time contracts are the result of a complex interplay of changes in social values, economic situation, legislative measures as well as women's increasing aspirations for redefining their position in society.