Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-03-08-Speech-1-088"
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"en.20040308.7.1-088"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I am grateful to my colleague Mrs Bastos, whose own-initiative report has focussed our attention, in this debate, on the reconciliation of work and family life. The family is the smallest unit in the state. In it, the foundations are laid for a functioning society, and it must take pride of place among society’s concerns. It is, however, an unfortunate fact that our families are in crisis. We are a long way from achieving our objective of reconciling work and family life. Earning a living must be organised around the family, rather than vice versa. Those who care for their own children or look after elderly family members need to have the framework conditions created for them so that the two can be interconnected.
One key to better reconciliation of family and work lies of course in the partnership between husband and wife, both as regards the bringing up of children and housework as a whole. Even though we know that it cannot be enforced as a matter of policy, we have to keep coming back to it as a topic of discussion. Women still bear most of the burden bringing up a family, to which, along with domestic work, a higher value must be attached. It must be acknowledged as work of value to society and there must no longer be discrimination against it. It is vitally important that the members of a family should have more of a choice as to whether to do the household chores and look after children themselves or to delegate them to others. Families should have the option of bringing someone in to do some domestic work.
That is why we need to recognise that private households, too, can create skilled employment for the labour market. If women choose to be home-makers, they must not be put at a disadvantage in terms of social security, that is, when it comes to a pension in later life. In order to make re-entry into the world of work easier after spending time on family responsibilities, vocational training opportunities must also be offered during parental leave. Those are just a few things that need adjusting, but many small cogs need to move if there is to be a successful balance and harmony between work and family life for both men and women."@en1
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