IMPORTANT POLICIES AND GLOBAL ISSUES

united states

• no federally mandated paid leave

• family and medical leave - 12 weeks unpaid

• childcare subsidy programs (varied by state)

• growing adoption in organization fo

  • right to disconnect

  • hybrid norms 

  • flexible work arrangements 

nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Finland)

• long paid parental leave

• use it or lose it - father quotas

• heavily subsidized childcare 

• high gender equality outcomes 

Germany and France

• universal child care

• generous parental benefits 

japan and south korea 

• high work hours 

• low fertility 

• gender inequality in care work 

• government incentives for fertility and flexible work 

UK & EU

• right to request flexible owrk

• EU work-life balance directive

• growing traction of 4 day work week pilots

global fertility decline

• below replacement rates in nearly all developed nations 

• drived by costs of living, career demands, housing, care expenses 

global childhood care crises

• care deserts in US, UK, Japan, South Africa 

• High cost of early childhood education predicts reduced labor participation 

gender inequality in care work 

• women globally perform 2.5x as much unpaid labor as men 

• flexibility often reinforces (not reduces) gender gaps 

gig/ platform work world wide

• uber, grab, amazon flex dominating global labor markets

• algorithmic control creates cross-cultural issues around fairness and autonomy

aging populations and elder care

• fastest growing care need globally

• strains on families, especially women, as caregiving intensity rises

cultural differences in work-family norms

• collectivist vs individualistic attitudes 

• extended family support vs nuclear family pressure

• variation in parental involvement across cultures