Category: Podcasts

UOL podcast – The struggle to balance work and non-work roles 

Posted on by Anna Ewing

We’re thrilled to bring you a special episode in collaboration with the Future Families Work project and the University of Liverpool podcast team. Join us to unravel the complexities of managing roles and identities in the context of modern family life. 

Many couples enter into a relationship expecting to share work and non-work roles equally. However, as children enter the picture, a myriad of challenges, from unequal workplace policies to cultural expectations, can disrupt this initial egalitarian vision. In this insightful episode, Dr. Laura Radcliffe, a key member of the Future Families Work project, joins us to explore how heterosexual couples navigate the shifting dynamics between work and home life. 

From the impact of workplace policies to societal expectations, our discussion delves into the experiences of couples as they grapple with the evolving balance of roles and identities. As families grow, so does the complexity of managing the division between work and non-work roles, leading many couples to reflect on and adapt to the changing landscape of their lives. 

🎧 Tune in for: 

  • Candid conversations on the challenges of maintaining equality in roles. 
  • Insights into the impact of workplace policies on family dynamics. 
  • Dr. Laura Radcliffe’s expert perspective on the evolving landscape of modern families. 

https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/management/staff/laura-radcliffe/

https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/

Why Care? #6: Dr. Laura Radcliffe – The Barriers to Equal Parenting

Posted on by Anna Ewing

“Most work-family policies and the whole way work is set up is still based on a really outdated model of what a family is.” In this episode I talk to Dr Laura Radcliffe, Senior Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour at the University of Liverpool and author of many research papers on the topic of parenting and work-life balance.

“Most work-family policies and the whole way work is set up is still based on a really outdated model of what a family is.”

In this episode I talk to Dr Laura Radcliffe, Senior Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour at the University of Liverpool and author of many research papers on the topic of parenting and work-life balance. Together we published the Business in the Community Equal Lives: Parenthood and Caring in the Workplace Report in 2018, where we shed light on the barriers men face to get more involved in their caring roles.

We discuss what fundamental changes society and organisations need to embrace to achieve more gender equality and explore topics like maternal gatekeeping and the importance of making male caring visible at work. We talk about the relationship between equal parenting and wellbeing, as well as the impact of work-family conflict for both. Laura also gives us an interesting preview into her current research project, due to be published this year, where she studies single parents at work as well as blended families.

We hear how 1 in 4 families are single parents, 90% of them women and how the current system fails them as they struggle to fulfil society’s expectations. The norms of being a good worker and a good mother at the same time are completely opposite to each other and therefore unobtainable.

Maybe the global pandemic and its profound implications on how we work has been a reset and started the momentum for a fundamental change so employment and wellbeing can be possible for anyone with caring roles?

Show links:

Laura’s University of Liverpool Page where you can find her published papers

Laura’s Linkedin Profile

Find her on Twitter @laurasue888