Worklife Balance The Agency and Capabilities Gap

Barbara Hobson, Professor of Sociology, Stockholm University

Barbara Hobson holds a professor's chair in Sociology, with a specialization in comparative gender studies at Stockholm University. She has published many books and articles on gender and welfare states concerning themes of gender and citizenship, men and social politics, and social movements and gender diversity in welfare states. Her recent publications have focused on sociological applications of the capabilities approach, including articles on fertility and fathers and work-life balance. She has been Strand Coordinator for the EC FP6 Network of Excellence 'Reconciling Work and Welfare in Europe' (RECWOWE, 2007-11). She is founder and co-editor of the journal Social Politics published by Oxford University Press.

1. Introduction: capabilities and agency for worklife balance: a multidimensional framework
Barbara Hobson

Part I. The Individual/Household and the Agency and Capabilities Gap: Policy Frameworks, Norms, and Work Organizational Cultures

2. The agency gap: policies, norms, and working time capabilities across welfare states
Susanne Fahlén

3. A sense of entitlement? Agency and capabilities in Sweden and Hungary
Barbara Hobson, Susanne Fahlén, and Judit Takács

4. Worklife balance in Japan: new policies, old practices
Mieko Takahashi, Saori Kamano, Tomoko Matsuda, Setsuko Onode,
and Kyoko Yoshizumi

5. Agency freedom for worklife balance in Germany and Spain
Sonja Drobnic and Margarita León

Part II: The Firm Level and the Agency and Capabilities Gap: Policies, Managers, and Work Organization

6. Workplace worklife balance support from a capabilities perspective
Laura den Dulk, Sandra Groeneveld, and Bram Peper

7. Working-time capabilities at the workplace: individual adjustment
options between full-time and part-time working in European Firms
Colette Fagan and Pierre Walthery

8. Capabilities for worklife balance: managerial attitudes and employee practices in the Dutch, British, and Slovenian banking sector
Bram Peper, Laura den Dulk, Nevenka Cernigoj Sadar, Suzan Lewis,
Janet Smithson, and Anneke van Doorne-Huiskes

9. Capabilities for worklife balance in the context of increasing work intensity and precariousness in the service sector and the IT industry in a transitional economy
Aleksandra Kanjuo Mrcela and Nevenka Cernigoj Sadar

10. Conclusion
Introduction: capabilities and agency for worklife balance: a multidimensional framework, Barbara Hobson
Part I. The Individual/Household and the Agency and Capabilities Gap: Policy Frameworks, Norms, and Work Organizational Cultures
2. The agency gap: policies, norms, and working time capabilities across welfare States, Susanne Fahlen
3. A sense of entitlement? Agency and capabilities in Sweden and Hungary, Barbara Hobson, Susanne Fahlen, and Judit Takacs
4. Worklife balance in Japan: new policies, old practices, Mieko Takahashi, Saori Kamano, Tomoko Matsuda, Setsuko Onode, and Kyoko Yoshizumi
5. Agency freedom for worklife balance in Germany and Spain, Sonja Drobnic and Margarita Leon
Part II: The Firm Level and the Agency and Capabilities Gap: Policies, Managers, and Work Organization
6. Workplace worklife balance support from a capabilities perspective, Laura den Dulk, Sandra Groeneveld and Bram Peper
7. Working time capabilities at the workplace: individual adjustment options between full-time and part-time working in European Firms, Colette Fagan and Pierre Walthery
8. Capabilities for worklife balance: managerial attitudes and employee practices in the Dutch, British, and Slovenian banking sector, Bram Peper, Laura den Dulk, Nevenka Černigoj Sadar, Suzan Lewis, Janet Smithson, and Anneke van Doorne-Huiskes
9. Capabilities for worklife balance in the context of increasing work intensity and precariousness in the service sector and the IT industry in a transitional economy, Aleksandra Kanjuo Mrċela and Nevenka Černigoj Sadar
10. Conclusion, Barbara Hobson