The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Working parents sometimes feel as if they are constantly juggling, trying to keep several balls in the air without letting one fall through the cracks. Many Canadians are working longer and have more family responsibilities than they did 10 years ago. The 2001 National Work-Life Conflict Study found that hours on the job have generally increased, as has the percentage of working Canadians with child care, elder care or both. Over the 1990s, companies downsized, rightsized, restructured and globalized. This often led to job insecurity and heavier workloads. Unpaid overtime work has increased substantially since the previous work-life study in 1991. In today's hectic world, it can be hard to juggle family and job priorities. A critical factor in this challenge is safety. Many couples arrange their work schedules to avoid arranging child care or leaving older children on their own. However, work schedules typically require parents to leave home before a child goes to school, or to come home after school is out. The Canada Safety Council advises parents not to consider letting a child stay home alone until at least the age of 10. The parent must judge whether the child is ready to be alone or with siblings for a short time before or after school. Age alone does not determine whether a child is capable of being left alone. For example, unsupervised teens and pre-teens can sometimes get into more trouble than younger children. Parents must put into place a structure that assures a safe and supervised environment even when there is no adult at home. The Canada Safety Council's Web site (www.safety-council.org) offers guidance for working parents to prepare older children to be safe at home if an adult can't be there before or after school. CSC also publishes an activity booklet At Home on My Own for children 10 and over. The young, the old and the exhausted In the 2001 National Work-Life Conflict Study, 70 per cent of employees surveyed were parents, 60 per cent had elder care, 13 per cent cared for a disabled relative, and 13 per cent had both child care and elder care responsibilities. Alternative work arrangements such as flextime and telework can enable employees to look after the family. Some choose part time employment or job sharing as a way to balance their personal life with their work life. Demanding schedules have led to changes in lifestyle. For instance, men are more involved in child rearing responsibilities than in the past, and share in elder care. Nonetheless, a day still has only 24 hours. More time spent on the job translates into less time for everything else, including family, chores, leisure and sleep. People who go through life stressed-out and sleep-deprived pose a risk to themselves and others.
