Workplace Policies as Social Policy

The rhetoric surrounding family-responsive policies in the workplace (e.g., employer-supported child care, parental leave, and employee-assistance programs) suggests that their purpose is to help workers achieve a healthy balance between work and family roles. The reality is, however, that many so-called family-responsive policies function as work supports to help ensure that workers continue to give priority to work over family. In this article, I reframe and clarify the goals of family-responsive policies. I examine these policies from a social policy perspective in order to identify new strategies for promoting a balanced life and to sort out the responsibilities of government, employers, and individuals in this emerging policy arena.