Demographic and social changes have had a major impact on the workforce and will continue to do so.

• 68% of women aged 16-59 now work(ONS, 1998). Women are also predicted to account for 72% of the growth in jobs over the next few years and this will total 45% of all jobs(GHS, 1996).

• In the next 20 years, the dependent elderly will out-number the dependent young and an increasing number of employees will have eldercare as well as child-care responsibilities. In 1996, one adult in eight in Britain was looking after, or providing some regular service, for a sick or elderly person(ONS, 1996) and 2.8 million men in the United Kingdoms are carers(ONS, 1998).

• The proportion of families with dependent children headed by a lone parent has increased over the last thirty years from less than 8% to approximately 20%(ONS, 1996).
  
  

USEFUL ORGANISATIONS:

• Daycare Trust, Shoreditch Town Hall Annexes, 380 Old Street, London EC1V 9LT, Tel: 020 7739 2866, Fax: 020 7739 5579
  Email [email protected], WWW: http://www.daycaretrust.org.uk
• New Ways to Work, 22-25 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5AP, Tel: 020 7930 3355, Fax: 020 7930 3366,
  E-mail: [email protected] WWW: http://www.new-ways.co.uk
• Opportunity Now, 44 Baker Street, London W1M 1DH, Tel: 020 7224 1600, E-mail: [email protected],, WWW: http://www.opportunitynow.org.uk
• Institute of Personnel & Development, 35 Camp Road, London SW19 4UX
  Tel: 020 8971 9000, Fax: 020 8263 3333, WWW: http://www.ipd.co.uk

REFERENCES:

• Office for National Statistics. Labour Force Survey Projections, Labour Market Trends, June 1998.
• Office for National Statistics. Informal Carers. London: ONS, 1998.

Office for National Statistics. General Household Survey. London: ONS, 1996.

WFD/Management Today. The Great Work/Life Debate. London: Ceridian Performance Partners(formerly WFD), 1998

FURTHER READING:

• Dex S(ed), Families and the labour market: trends policies and pressures. Family Policies Studies Centre, 1999.
  A report on the stress imposed on family life by the changing nature of work and the working lives of families. Includes discussion on the ways families reconcile their domestic and work commitments.