ABSTRACT
Recent socioeconomic and demographic changes, such as rising female labor force participation and increases in longevity, have meant that women and men are increasingly likely to find themselves combining a variety of economic and social roles. This is particularly the case in midlife, when the roles of parent, spouse, carer, and paid worker may overlap, blurring the boundaries between work and family life. The increasing possibility of caring for elderly parents whilst still caring for or supporting one’s own children has been highlighted by a U.S. Census Bureau report on the “sandwich generation” (Kinsella & Velkoff, 2001). In Britain, 6 million people are providing unpaid care for a family member, and 3 million of these are also in paid work. There is now growing recognition by both government and employers of the importance of supporting individuals in juggling work and family commitments. In 2000 the UK government launched the Work-Life Balance Campaign(Department for Education and Employment [DfEE], 2000), and in 2002 the Employment Act introduced the flexible working law, enabling parents with a child under 6 or a disabled child under 18 to request flexible work arrangements from their employer. As a result of the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004, from April 2007 the law extended the right to request flexible work arrangements to include carers of adults.
