Trask brings women’s issue to forefront

The United Nations has declared 2014 the International Year of the Family. Bahira Trask, HDFS, has been invited to  conferences in New York, Qatar and Mexico to speak on the complex issues surrounding women and the global work-family balance.

These topics are further illustrated in Trask’s recent book titled Women, Work and Globalization and an article in March 2014 edition of The European Business Review where she discusses “Women in the Paid Labour Force: Global Work-Family Challenges and Solutions.”

In this article, Trask explains that, both in the industrialized and the developing world, the shift in women’s roles has been accompanied by equally significant changes in roles for men: they are losing full-time jobs, access to economic resources, and their position as family breadwinners and patriarchs.

These recent social changes have created serious dilemmas for both individuals and their employers. Women and men increasingly need to balance their work-life responsibilities in a climate where their jobs are more precarious. Concurrently, employers are being urged to offer benefits and services that are responsive to the needs of their employees while constantly having to stay competitive in a globalizing, economically precarious environment.

Trask outlines some of the ideological, economic and social changes that have led to the current situation and  offers policy suggestions and strategies for employers and employees.

For more information, read Paychecks and Balances in UD Messenger.