Italian Sociological Review – To Archeio https://toarcheio.org To Archeio project site Mon, 20 Apr 2020 14:19:54 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.4.1 Social bonds and coping strategies of unemployed people in Europe https://toarcheio.org/items/social-bonds-and-coping-strategies-of-unemployed-people-in-europe/ Tue, 16 Apr 2019 22:25:43 +0000 http://arc.local/items/social-bonds-and-coping-strategies-of-unemployed-people-in-europe/ Continued]]> Experiencing unemployment, especially when it lasts longer than the legal period for receiving allowances, threatens the organic participation bond in post-industrial society as it raises questions, at least partially, about both the material and symbolic recognition of work and the social protection that stems from employment. The question is whether or not unemployment, goes together with a breakdown of the other types of bonds. the lineal bond (between parents and children), the elective participation bond (between people chosen based on affinities) and the citizenship bond (between individuals united by a core basis of rights and duties within a political community). If it does, we have to support the spiral hypothesis, if we look to the second, we are inclined to defend the compensation hypothesis (the break in the organic participation bond is compensated by the maintenance, even the strengthening, of the other types of bond). This article is based on in-depth interviews conducted with unemployed people from seven European Union countries (France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Romania and Ireland). It contributes to demonstrate that nemployment in a period of crisis increases the risk of a process of impoverishment and spiralling breaks in social bonds, but it is also in particular in the Southern countries at the origin of a process of coping, based on forms of compensation. The lineal bond is in these countries a basic resource to compensate the break in the organic participation bond.

]]> Families, care and work in European Mediterranean Countries: Findings and lessons from a comparative analysis of work-life balance policies https://toarcheio.org/items/families-care-and-work-in-european-mediterranean-countries-findings-and-lessons-from-a-comparative-analysis-of-work-life-balance-policies/ Tue, 16 Apr 2019 22:25:28 +0000 http://arc.local/items/families-care-and-work-in-european-mediterranean-countries-findings-and-lessons-from-a-comparative-analysis-of-work-life-balance-policies/ Continued]]> The article explores work-life balance policies in five European Mediterranean countries: France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Turkey. The aim is to analyze how the interplay among different role of state, markets, third sector and families shapes work and family-care dimensions, within the economic, social, cultural contemporary context and the challenges prompted by the conditions of global crisis. Trough a cross-national comparison using Eurostat and Oecd data, it draws a synthesis of national labor markets’ features, shows the main trends regarding families’ size, composition and models and presents statutory Maternity, Paternity and Parental leave arrangements, early childcare services’ availability and family allowances system.

Findings identify common aspects and differences among countries’ regulations, confirming the relationship between work-life balance policies and the different socio-economic contexts as well as cultural patterns and welfare regimes. The article conclude providing recommendations for politics to close the gap between today’s work and family realities and policies and practices governing their interrelationships, reflecting on the potential impact not only on individuals, but also on organizations and society.

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