By Tina Vasquez (Los Angeles)

In October of last year news broke that the European Parliament, which covers 27 nations, was attempting to extend maternity leave from 14 to 20-weeks on full pay. On January 7, 2011 European Union ministers rejected the move, citing the cost as the biggest hindrance. Among the countries lobbying against the plan were the UK, France, and Germany. Assessments said the proposed measure would cost UK businesses approximately $3.8 billion a year; France estimated it would mean extra healthcare costs of about $1.75 billion; and Germany put its additional costs at $1.6 billion.

The plan also included paternity leave and a stipulation that pregnant workers would have their job or an “equivalent” position reserved for them. Also, the plan specified that women returning to their jobs could not be dismissed for six months once their maternity leave drew to a close.

In order to reach a happy medium, The European Commission has proposed extending the plan to just 18-weeks as a way of improving work-life balance. Belgium, the current holder of the EU presidency, is showing early support for the 18-week plan, but no deal is expected until at least 2012.

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By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“We have to redefine what it means to be a successful man and a good mother,” said Joan C. Williams, Distinguished Professor of Law and Director of the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California, Hastings.

Williams, who has just published a new book on the subject of work/family conflict, Reshaping the Work-Family Debate: Why Men and Class Matter, believes that there are several gender and class related inconsistencies that are keeping both women and men from achieving their best at home and work. Williams explained, “While women are under pressure to be good mothers, always available to their children, men face gender pressures, too. Men are judged, to borrow a quote from feminism in the 70s, ‘by the size of their paycheck’ —which makes it very different to draw a line in the sand and say, ‘I need to go home to my family.’”

While the “good mother ideal” is problematic for women in the workforce, men now face similar inconsistencies. In the past, Williams said, men were culturally expected to work long hours to live up to the “provider” role – which fit right in with workplace expectations of what a good worker looked like. But now, men are faced with a new cultural ideal: that of the “nurturing father.”

Williams explained, “Men are now caught between two ideals.” The workplace ideal for men has not yet caught up with changing notions of masculinity at home. And women are unlikely to find male support in changing the structure of the workplace until that workplace supports the new needs of men too.

“Until gender pressures on men change, things aren’t going to change for much of women, either.”

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By Elizabeth Harrin (London)

“Fifty-five per cent of businesses are seeing more home working now than before the recession,” said Mick Hegarty, Strategy and Communication Director at BT Business. Productivity is up by 20% in those who work flexibly compared with those who don’t, he went on. BT have generated a saving of between £6million and £7million as a result of improved productivity.

Hegarty was speaking at the Remote Worker Awards in London recently, and he was just one of several employers who spoke about the value a flexible workforce offers their companies. Hegarty presented some research carried out by BT showing that companies save an average of £6,000 per employee on the cost of overheads. BT itself made estate savings by moving a portion of their workforce to flexible arrangements.

“It helps employees be more motivated,” Hegarty said. He explained that flexible working practices result in less sickness absence and better retention. They are also key in attracting new recruits and enabling employers to “draw from a wider pool of talent like lone parents.”

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By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

This weekend saw the release of another study revealing the value of women in leadership roles. The study, by researchers at MIT, Carnegie Mellon University, and Union College, showed that the inclusion of women in a group can increase its effectiveness in decision making.

The crux of the study – that more women equals better decision making – was a surprise to researchers, who said they did not set out to study gender, but rather what they have termed “collective intelligence.” The more collaborative a group was in the decision making process, the better its decisions turned out to be – a result of “social sensitivity,” or how well group members understood each others’ feelings.

According to the researchers, the women in the study showed higher levels of social sensitivity – and groups with more women tended to do perform better. The researchers even went to so far as to say that their study would have implications in the business world.

This is pretty convincing work. But what effect will one more study really have on increasing the tiny percentage of leadership positions held by women? So far, similar research hasn’t exactly caused a sea change in leadership diversity. What’s missing?

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By Elisabeth Grant (Washington, D.C.)

A recent University of Maryland study, cited in this Washington Post article, finds that moms today are spending more time with their kids (an average of 14.1 hours a week) than they did 40 years ago (10.2 hours a week). But despite reports that moms are doing better balancing their time at home, many working moms still worry about spending quality time with their kids.

Alleviate the concern by focusing on the time you have together, and aiming for quality over quantity. Read on for five ways to spend time with your children and make it count.

1. Eat.
Eating is, of course, a necessity, but eating with your kids can have more benefits than just relieving hunger. Research has found that meal time together as a family can have numerous positive effects. For instance, Purdue University’s Center for Families says shared family meal times can contribute to “improving dietary quality, preventing obesity, enhancing language acquisition and academic performance, improving social skills and family unity, and reducing risk-taking behaviors.”

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