4. Caring and Work-Life Balance in Recession and Austerity.
Venue: University of Reading
Hosts: Professor Grace James and Professor Nicole Busby
In this fourth seminar we consider how austerity and recession have impacted on caring and work-life balance. The seminar opens with three inter-related papers that question and analyse caring and work-life balance issues in a time of austerity – looking, for example, at employment policies, the impact on care workers and considering issues around job satisfaction, job demand and the care sector. In the afternoon, a break-out session will allow us all to discuss practical implications and possible solutions for care and work-life balance before our invited discussants, drawing upon their own experiences, views and knowledge, offer particular insights and suggest how we might improve the situation.
Programme
9.30 – 10 Arrivals and Registration – coffee/tea.
10.00 – 10.15 Introduction to the Seminar Series and Welcome to Seminar 4
10.15-12.00 Keynotes
Keynote 1: Nicole Busby, Strathclyde University: Caring in a time of austerity (download this presentation) (download Nicole’s biog) (download talk summary)
Keynote 2: Lydia Hayes, Cardiff University: The Care Act, a statute of austerity? The implications of fragmented control over caring labour (download this presentation) (download Lydia’s biog) (download a talk summary)
Keynote 3: Shereen Hussein, Kings College London: Job satisfaction, stress and work-life balance in social care at a time of austerity (download this presentation) (download Shereen’s Biog) (download talk summary)
12.00-12.45 Lunch
12.45-2.00 World Café break-out session: Exploring Care and WLB in a time of austerity followed by feedback / discussion
2.00-2.15 Coffee / tea
2.15-3.45 Discussants’ Roundtable: invited discussants comment on the papers/break-out session and consider ‘the impact of austerity on care and/or work-life balance and suggestions for reform/ways ahead’ drawing upon their own experiences / views / knowledge
Discussants
Jill Miller (Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development) (download Jill’s biog)
Sue Cohen (Single Parent Action Network) (download Sue Cohen’s biog)
Sue Himmelweit (Open University) (download Sue Himmelweit’s biog)
Gloria Mills (UNISON) (download Gloria’s biog)
Katherine Wilson (Carers UK) (download Katherine’s biog)
3.45 – 4.00 Concluding Remarks