TY - JOUR T1 - The Role Of The International Labour Organisation In Balancing Work And Family In The 21st Century JF - Journal of Industrial Relations Y1 - 2014 A1 - Hodges, Jane KW - family KW - gender KW - gender equality KW - ILO KW - International Labour Organisation AB -

[Excerpt] Having been created in 1919, as part of the Treaty of Versailles which ended the hostilities of the Great War, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has almost 100 years’ experience in addressing the important theme of balancing tensions that pit work responsibilities against family roles and societal expectations. With such a weight of history and time, one might be forgiven for expecting this article to overflow with successes and positive examples, built up over decades of normative work, policy advice, research and data collection, technical support and capacity-building with the ILO’s tripartite (employer, union and government) constituents. Yet, as with many fundamental principles and rights in the world of work, equality for women and men remains a challenge. The following section will cover the particular characteristics of the ILO and its commitment to gender equality in general. Next I will expand on the International Labour Standards (ILS) relevant to balancing work and family, with recent examples of good practices. In concluding, I will tempt the reader to examine in more depth the structural reasons that appear to feed the tensions, and posit ways forward.

VL - 56 L2 - eng CP - 4 ER -