Women in Latin America and the Caribbean - Cepal

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In the private sphere, there has been an upsurge in recent years of what is known as corporate
social responsibility, by which is meant an active, voluntary contribution by companies to social,
economic and environmental development with a view to improving their competitiveness in the market
and hence their value. Corporate social responsibility means more than obeying laws and regulations
—indeed, strict compliance with these is taken for granted. It encompasses a whole set of practices,
strategies and business management systems intended to strike a new balance between the economic,
social and environmental aspects of corporate activities.
Characteristics of corporate social responsibility include an interest in the sustainability of
corporate governance practices, a spirit of cooperation with customers, suppliers, competitors and
governments, transparency commitments made to society and followed up by accountability measures,
usually in the form of annual reports that can be audited by outside agencies and, lastly, corporate
citizenship, meaning the rights and obligations that belong to the firm within the community it is part of.
Good practices designed to harmonize family and working life for male and female employees are
conspicuous by their absence, however.
Box II.11
THE EUROPEAN UNION: RECONCILING FAMILY AND WORKING LIFE, QUALITATIVE AND
QUANTITATIVE INDICATORS
The qualitative and quantitative indicators proposed by the European Union to measure the degree of reconciliation
between family and working life include several that it would be interesting for the countries of Latin America and the
Caribbean to calculate, especially the following:
1. Employed men and women on parental leave (paid and unpaid) as a proportion of all employed parents.
2. Allocation of parental leave between employed men and women as a proportion of all parental leave.
3. Children cared for (other than by the family) as a proportion of all children of the same age group:
– before entry into the non-compulsory preschool system (during the day);
– in the non-compulsory or equivalent preschool system (outside preschool hours);
– in compulsory primary education (outside school hours).
4. Comprehensive and integrated policies, particularly employment policies, aimed at promoting a balance between
working and family life.
5. Dependent elderly men and women (unable to look after themselves on a daily basis) over 75:
– living in specialized institutions;
– who have help (other than the family) at home;
– looked after by the family;
6. Opening hours of public services during the week and at weekends.
7. Opening hours of shops during the week and at weekends.
8. Total “tied” time per day for each employed parent living with a partner, having one or more children under 12 years
old or a dependent:
– paid working time;
– travelling time;
– basic time spent on domestic work;
– other time devoted to the family (upbringing and care of children and care of dependent adults).
9. Total “tied” time per day for each employed parent living alone, having one or more children under 12 years old or a
dependent:
– paid working time;
– travelling time;
– basic time spent on domestic work;
– other time devoted to the family (upbringing and care of children and care of dependent adults).
Source: Almenara Estudios Económicos y Sociales, Social Security Systems in the EU and Their Impact on Reconciling Family
Life and Work Life, Women’s Rights Committee of the European Parliament, April 2004.