Professor Margaret O'Brien:
INTERNATIONAL NETWORK ON LEAVE POLICIES AND RESEARCH: www.leavenetwork.org
Margaret O’Brien is one of the UK representatives in the International Network on Leave Policies and Research. The network has members from over 30 countries – mostly in Europe, but some from beyond including Australia, Canada, Japan, South Africa and the United States.
The network pays particular attention to employment-related policies intended to support parents and others with care responsibilities (including for adult relatives), including: maternity, paternity and parental leaves; leave to care for sick or disabled relatives; and entitlements to work reduced hours. But it also covers policies available to the whole population to improve work/life balance, such as ‘career breaks’ and ‘time accounts’.
Each year Margaret (with Professor Peter Moss, Thomas Coram Research Unit) updates the report on UK leave policies in the network’s annual review, providing a source of regularly updated information on policies and research.
International Network on Leave Policies and Research (2011) International Review of Leave Policies and Related Research. Available at: http://www.leavenetwork.org/lp_and_r_reports/review_2011/?S=kontrast%3F%3Ftype%3D98%3Ftype%3D98.
For a comparative analysis of fathers and leave-taking, see also: O’Brien, M (2009) ‘Fathers, Parental Leave Policies, and Infant Quality of Life: International Perspectives and Policy Impact, ANNALS, AAPSS, 624
In this paper O’Brien adopts a comparative analysis of fathers’ patterns of leave -taking across 24 countries during 2003 – 2007 to present a new typology of father-care sensitive leave models.
Working Better: Meeting the changing needs of families, workers and employers in the 21st Century.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission launched proposals for a fundamental change in parental leave, to give mothers and fathers greater support in bringing up children. Professor Margaret O'Brien was an expert consultant and on the advisory group for the development of this report. The EHRC report shed new light on the different choices available to men and women - posing a series of probing questions, including whether the gains of maternity leave have entrenched the stereotype that women do the caring and men work - and to lead new thinking on the development of family leave, work-life balance, and flexibility in the British economy in the decade ahead.
