WORK-LIFE BALANCE FOR MATHERS An Empirical Approach toward Modern Educational Tasks

1. WORK-LIFE BALANCE FOR MATHERSAn Empirical Approach toward Modern Educational Tasks Vetter, Hans-Rolf/Hu, Bo Universität der Bundeswehr Munich/Germany ECER Congress 2007 Ghent/Belgium/20.09.2007 • Introduction to the topic • Objectives of the investigation • Exemplary results • The pedagogical formulation of the question • Diagnostic indications of the practiced constructions of work-life balance • Priority Program 24 – an approach for successful return • Prospects/conclusion

2. Objectives of the investigation (1.) The mothers should be integrated back into their job as quickly as possible after their baby-break especially in the interest of the mothers themselves. (2.) The study should facilitate fundamental insigths and practically utilizable strategic human resource indications of the subjectively perceived problems of WLB-problems (chances as well as risks). (3.) The very high investment for training and enrolling Programs should be utilized more efficiently. ECER 2007 - 2

3. Exemplary statements • Purely rational instrumental approaches such as child minder or kindergarten do obviously not suffice an adequate basis for the individually practiced „work-life balance“. • Mothers obviously start in their majority from the assumption that career chances cannot be improved by an early return to the job. • The offers of further education are ignored, since no relationship between the participation and the personal career is considered. ECER 2007 - 3

4. Exemplary Result I : Neither Kindergarten- nor School-Entry-Age has a Significant Effect upon the Return (Status: 2006. Calculated according to the survey and to the file analysis) % of the mothers still in FL Year of birth of the youngest child ECER 2007 - 4

5. Which forms of child-minding – besides the one provided by the parents – will be prefered? Exemplary Result II Midday child-minding All-day-school School with a day-home for schoolchildren in the afternoon school Kindergarten Co-operative institution Parent-child-initiative At first: the grand-parents Day-nursery Child-minder or similiar Au-pair Other family member ECER 2007 - 5

6. Merely few interviewees have participated in further education – in spite of comprehensive optionsExemplary Result III Only about 12 % participate in further education, although 50 % are of the opinion that the increased demand aggravates the re-entry. No Yes Yes, several times Question 26: Further education during the leave? General furher education Further education in data processing Specialist further education Question 16a: Weekly leisure-time A potential reason is that the persons on family leave have in general little leasure-time available. ECER 2007 - 6

7. Returning to one`s Job ? – The Complicated Pro & Contra of Basic Motivations • PRO • Being able to resume one`s professional career successfully • But: It doesn`t seem realistic because of the internal competition of the other employees, who do not have any occupational adjournement/ break (rushing-on-ahead realism). • CONTRA • Sustainibility of Confidential Child-Care • Minor Confidence in rational, quasi instrumentally initiated approaches of public child-minding • Mothers consider themselves to be challenged predominantly • CONCLUSION • The decision to return is not determined family-centredly alone. It, however, combines complex social, occupational, economic and psychic topics. ECER 2007 - 7

8. The pedagogical importance & functions in shaping & management of the WLB-problems • At first functions of Ped/ Esc as a mediator, coach or an honest broker between both interest groups • Secondly the management competences of Ped/Esc in the sense of their more sensitive and organic view • Thirdly their fundamental “empathetic” competence with regard to their diagnosis- & arrangement techniques ECER 2007 - 8

9. The Central Pedagogical Theses of WLB WLB is not only a bi-polarized Construction of work & actual life-conditions in the sense of a trivial modelling of the actually presented conditions, BUT... WLB is a „Tri-polarized Construction of Contingency“ perceived within the framework of actively moderated opportunities during a special sector of life-course based on work, social reproduction and biography ECER 2007 - 9

10. The Structure of References & Interactions withinProcesses of „Work-Life-Balance“ Labour contingent trajectory actually represented by the enterprise REPRODUCTION represented by the actual situation of the family Social WLB A Tripolar Structure of Moderation Represented by the temporary SELF VEREINBARKEIT der tripolaren Referenzen BIOGRAPHY a reflexive approach of reafferency* *=mediation of the past & the future in the present ECER 2007 - 10

11. Work-Life-Balance as a Result of External & Internal CommodificationsI : Company External Offers of Balances by the Mother WLB as mediation of Authentic Employability Internal Balance of Economy, Time-Management Diversity Organizational Culture Tasks of Employment Division of Work Productivity Conditions of Work Career Trajectories, Expected Behavioral Patterns, Leadership Policy of Re-Integration Family Friendly Programs Coaching & Trainings-Units

12. Work-Life-Balance as a Result ofExternal & Internal Commodifications II : Mother External Offers of Balances by the Reference Company WLB as mediation of „Authentic Employability“ Internal Balance of Social Enviroment , Expected Life Course & Biography Social Enviroment Roles, Conflicts Communication Expected & Prefered Life-Course Personality & Biography Identity, Values

13. Priority Program 24 (PP24) – an approach for a successful return to work • Initiating and accompaniment of professional and social learning processes • Arrangement of targets & time patterns • Preparatory mediation towards the concrete requirements and co-ordination problems within the framework of the WLB-agreement • Preparatory time-management as well as • Individual coaching- and mentoring procedures and • Better planning of the concrete re-entry date ECER 2007 - 13

14. Priority Program 24 (PP24) – an approach for a successful return to work (contd.) • The professional training units – including the respective obligations – are increasing more and more in the course of the 24 months, whereas the social and biographical units are gradually reduced, are fed in thereupon and are repeated on a redundant level. • An unconditioned objective of the “Priority Program 24” is to ensure that the multiperspective integration concept is suited to the individual personality of the mother in all phases and training units. social and biographical units Return to work professional training units t -24 M. -12 M. ECER 2007 - 14

15. Conclusion • Economic policy can no longer dictate family policy • In regard to the further societal development mothers are needed at least on two “fronts” • The competing Modern Age (rivaling modernity) forces to an increasing extent the acknowledgement of individual post-materialistic objectives • It is urgently necessary to think about the reform of the curriculum-regime, since in particular in case of the women the triple requirement of the medium process phase - continuous occupation, family and self - results in an overload of the life management. ECER 2007 - 15