The findings of a 2007 survey on the reconciliation of work and family life reveal that Lithuanian society is still quite conservative about sharing family responsibilities between men and women. The main barrier to achieving a better balance between work and family life continues to be the personal attitudes of the respondents themselves. Workers who strive for higher wages and better career prospects tend to give a higher priority to work than to family life.
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The findings of a 2007 survey on the reconciliation of work and family life reveal that Lithuanian society is still quite conservative about sharing family responsibilities between men and women. The main barrier to achieving a better balance between work and family life continues to be the personal attitudes of the respondents themselves. Workers who strive for higher wages and better career prospects tend to give a higher priority to work than to family life.
About the survey
In 2007, the Ministry of Social Security and Labour (Socialinės apsaugos ir darbo ministerija, SADM) commissioned UAB BGI Consulting to conduct a study entitled ‘Balance of rights, obligations and opportunities in family life and work between men and women: Socio-cultural analysis’ (Moterų ir vyrų teisių, pareigų, galimybių šeimoje ir darbe suderinimas: sociokultūrinė analizė). The aim of the research was to evaluate the situation regarding the possibilities of men and women to reconcile work and family life in the period 2004–2006. One of the steps in the research was a survey on the balance of rights, obligations and opportunities in family life and work. As part of the survey, Lithuanian residents were asked their opinions about childcare responsibilities and parental leave, the distribution of household duties between men and women, incentives and provisions for employees to reconcile work and family life, and obstacles that make the coexistence of work and family commitments difficult.
The fieldwork for the survey was conducted on 9–23 October 2007 by public opinion and market research company Spinter Tyrimai. In total, 1,002 Lithuanian residents aged 18 to 65 years were interviewed across the country using a standardised questionnaire (see Annex). A multi-stage stratified random sample was used to ensure equal probabilities for the selection of sample units.
Socio-demographic characteristics of respondents
Out of 1,002 survey respondents, women accounted for 53% and men for 47% of the sample group. By family status, all respondents were divided into three main groups: married or living in common-law marriage (64%), single (22%) and other (14%). Table 1 presents the distribution of respondents by family composition.
| Family composition | Number of respondents | Proportion of respondents (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Parents (not single) with children | 452 | 45.1 |
| Single mothers/fathers | 41 | 4.1 |
| Retired individuals rearing/minding children | 16 | 1.6 |
| Individuals living in legal or common-law marriage without children | 80 | 8.0 |
| Individuals living alone | 130 | 13 |
| Other | 264 | 26.3 |
| No response | 19 | 1.9 |
| Total | 1,002 | 100.0 |
Source: Ministry of Social Security and Labour, 2007
Regarding the main occupation at the time of the survey, the biggest share of respondents were white-collar workers (38%) and blue-collar workers or technicians (34%). Other respondents were retired individuals (9%), students and pupils (7%), self-employed individuals (5%), housekeepers (4%) and unemployed people (3%).
Some 52% of the survey respondents were employed in the private sector while 21% worked in the public sector. A further 24% of respondents were not employed at the time of the survey, while 4% did not respond to the question regarding sector of employment. Distribution of the respondents by age was relatively equal, although the proportion of respondents in the core age group (36–45 years old) is slightly higher (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Distribution of respondents, by age (%)
Source: Ministry of Social Security and Labour, 2007
Distribution of respondents, by age (%)
Almost half of the respondents (43%) were residents in the largest Lithuanian cities – Vilnius in the southeast, Kaunas in central Lithuania, Klaipėda in the northwest, Šiauliai in the north and Panevėžys in the northeast of the country; 30% of the respondents were rural residents and 27% of them lived in small cities or towns.
The majority of the interviewed respondents (70%) had secondary or upper secondary education, while 19% had a third-level qualification and 11% a lower secondary or primary education. In terms of nationality, 84% of the interviewed respondents were Lithuanian, 7% were Polish, 7% were Russian and 3% represented other nationalities.
Attitudes towards sharing family obligations
Men’s behaviour
Uptake of parental leave
Based on the survey findings, it appears that Lithuanian society is still relatively conservative about opportunities for sharing family obligations between men and women. The question of ‘Would you (your husband – in case of female respondent) agree to take parental leave (until the child turns one year old) if you have a baby?’ received a positive answer from as few as 26.6% of the respondents. A further 13.8% of the respondents stated that they would take parental leave in turn – for example, each parent would take half of the period of parental leave. On the other hand, 54.1% of the respondents were completely negative in their answers. It is worth noting that the proportion of respondents answering ‘yes’ to this question decreased as the age of the respondents increased. In addition, more ‘yes’ answers were found among university or college graduates (31.9%), respondents with higher earnings (26%) and those living in urban areas (28.5%) (Table 2).
| Q: Would you (your husband – in case of female respondent) agree to take parental leave (until the child turns one year old) if you have a baby? | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | Yes, in turn with the child’s mother – each parent would take half of the period of parental leave | No | No answer | Total | |
| All respondents | 26.6 | 13.8 | 54.1 | 5.5 | 100 |
| Gender | |||||
| Men | 21.8 | 17.5 | 55.8 | 4.9 | 100 |
| Women | 30.9 | 10.5 | 52.6 | 6.0 | 100 |
| Age | |||||
| 18–25 years | 30.2 | 19.5 | 44.0 | 6.3 | 100 |
| 26–35 years | 30.4 | 10.1 | 53.9 | 5.5 | 100 |
| 36–45 years | 26.8 | 10.5 | 57.0 | 5.7 | 100 |
| 46–55 years | 25.1 | 14.5 | 56.0 | 4.3 | 100 |
| 56 years | 20.9 | 16.2 | 57.1 | 5.8 | 100 |
| Education | |||||
| Higher level | 31.9 | 12.0 | 52.9 | 3.1 | 100 |
| Secondary | 24.8 | 13.7 | 55.0 | 6.5 | 100 |
| Lower secondary or primary | 29.1 | 17.3 | 50.0 | 3.6 | 100 |
| Monthly income level (for each household member): | |||||
| Less than LTL 500 (€144) | 26.0 | 19.8 | 48.0 | 6.2 | 100 |
| LTL 501–1,000 (€145–€289) | 24.9 | 11.4 | 57.3 | 6.3 | 100 |
| LTL 1,001–1,500 (€289–€434) | 27.7 | 12.9 | 56.3 | 3.1 | 100 |
| More than LTL 1,500 (€434) | 35.1 | 13.5 | 44.6 | 6.8 | 100 |
| Place of residence | |||||
| Large city | 28.5 | 11.8 | 55.4 | 4.2 | 100 |
| Town | 28.5 | 16.8 | 51.8 | 2.9 | 100 |
| Rural area | 22.4 | 13.8 | 54.3 | 9.5 | 100 |
Source: Ministry of Social Security and Labour, 2007
Reasons for not taking parental leave
Unfortunately, the survey findings do not make it possible to single out some of the most important reasons why men do not take parental leave and preventing men from active participation in household chores – opinions of the respondents are distributed relatively evenly in this regard. Yet, it seems that the most frequent reasons cited by respondents for preventing men from assuming more family obligations are ‘reluctance to interrupt career plans/refuse career opportunities’ (Table 3) and ‘men’s opinion that childcare is women’s responsibility’ (Table 4).
The data presented in Table 3 show that men more often than women, older respondents more often than younger respondents and rural residents more often than urban residents think that ‘mistrust on the part of the child’s mother, different [parents’] attitudes towards childcare’ is an important reason why men with children do not take parental leave. ‘Fear of tiredness’ is also a reason more often chosen by rural residents than by urban ones. ‘Reluctance to interrupt career plans/refuse career opportunities’ is more often highlighted by older respondents than by younger ones.
| Q: Why do you think men with children do not take parental leave? | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reason | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| All respondents | 7.4 | 7.2 | 6.4 | 7.2 | 6.4 | 7.0 | 6.6 | 6.7 | 7.8 |
| Gender | |||||||||
| Men | 7.5 | 7.2 | 6.6 | 7.3 | 6.4 | 7.0 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 7.8 |
| Women | 7.3 | 7.2 | 6.2 | 7.2 | 6.4 | 6.9 | 6.6 | 6.7 | 7.8 |
| Age | |||||||||
| 18–25 years | 7.4 | 7.3 | 6.4 | 7.4 | 6.3 | 7.0 | 6.6 | 6.7 | 8.2 |
| 26–35 years | 7.4 | 7.3 | 6.3 | 7.2 | 6.6 | 7.0 | 6.7 | 6.8 | 7.9 |
| 36–45 years | 7.2 | 7.1 | 6.2 | 7.1 | 6.4 | 6.7 | 6.4 | 6.5 | 7.6 |
| 46–55 years | 7.6 | 7.3 | 6.5 | 7.2 | 6.4 | 6.9 | 6.6 | 6.5 | 7.7 |
| 56 years | 7.4 | 7.2 | 6.7 | 7.3 | 6.5 | 7.3 | 6.7 | 6.9 | 7.8 |
| Place of residence | |||||||||
| Large city | 7.5 | 7.3 | 6.2 | 7.3 | 6.3 | 6.9 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 7.9 |
| Town | 7.2 | 7.1 | 6.5 | 7.1 | 6.4 | 6.9 | 6.5 | 6.7 | 7.9 |
| Rural area | 7.5 | 7.3 | 6.6 | 7.2 | 6.7 | 7.2 | 6.7 | 6.9 | 7.6 |
Notes: Responses were given on a 10-point scale, where 1 = very unimportant reason and 10 = very important reason. Reasons to choose from included: 1 – Men’s opinion that childcare is women’s responsibility, 2 – Fear of not knowing how to behave with children, 3 – Mistrust on the part of the child’s mother, different [parents’] attitudes towards childcare, 4 – Reluctance to lose time and opportunities for personal improvement, 5 – Fear of tiredness, 6 – Reluctance to be devalued/sneered at by other men (friends, colleagues, superiors), 7 – Reluctance to be devalued/sneered at by other family members/relatives, 8 – Fear of losing male identity, 9 – Reluctance to interrupt career plans/refuse career opportunities.
Source: Ministry of Social Security and Labour, 2007
Reasons for not sharing household chores
As shown in Table 4, men more often than women cite ‘reluctance to quarrel with one’s partner over the order and quality of chores’ as well as ‘reluctance to lose time and opportunities for personal improvement’ as reasons for men’s failure to participate in household chores. On the other hand, women more often think that the main reason preventing men with children from actively participating in household chores is their ‘reluctance to be devalued/sneered at by other men (such as friends, colleagues or superiors)’.
The youngest respondents – those aged 18–25 years – think that the most important reasons why men with children do not actively participate in household chores ‘men’s opinion that household chores are women’s tasks’ and their reluctance to lose time and opportunities for personal improvement. The oldest respondents, like the response given by women, more often think that the reason preventing men with children from active participation in household chores is their ‘reluctance to be devalued/sneered at by other men’.
Respondents living in rural areas, compared with those living in urban areas, prioritise men’s attitudes as follows: household chores are women’s tasks, reluctance to lose time and opportunities for personal improvement, fear of tiredness, reluctance to be devalued/sneered at by other men (such as friends, colleagues or superiors), reluctance to be devalued/sneered at by other family members /relatives, and finally fear of losing male identity.
| Q: What do you think prevents men with children from active participation in household chores (tidying/cleaning the house, washing/ironing/handling of clothing, cooking, dishwashing/handling, etc.)? | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reason | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| All respondents | 7.3 | 6.8 | 6.9 | 7.1 | 6.3 | 6.5 | 6.4 | 6.4 |
| Gender | ||||||||
| Men | 7.3 | 6.9 | 6.8 | 7.2 | 6.2 | 6.4 | 6.3 | 6.4 |
| Women | 7.3 | 6.7 | 6.9 | 7.0 | 6.3 | 6.6 | 6.4 | 6.4 |
| Age | ||||||||
| 18–25 years | 7.5 | 6.6 | 6.9 | 7.4 | 6.3 | 6.5 | 6.3 | 6.4 |
| 26–35 years | 7.2 | 6.8 | 6.9 | 7.2 | 6.3 | 6.6 | 6.3 | 6.4 |
| 36–45 years | 7.4 | 6.7 | 6.8 | 7.0 | 6.2 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 6.4 |
| 46–55 years | 7.3 | 6.9 | 6.8 | 7.0 | 6.2 | 6.5 | 6.3 | 6.4 |
| 56 years | 7.3 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 7.1 | 6.4 | 6.7 | 6.4 | 6.5 |
| Place of residence | ||||||||
| Large city | 7.4 | 6.7 | 6.9 | 7.1 | 6.2 | 6.4 | 6.1 | 6.3 |
| Town | 7.1 | 6.8 | 6.7 | 6.9 | 6.2 | 6.5 | 6.4 | 6.4 |
| Rural area | 7.5 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 7.3 | 6.5 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.5 |
Notes: Responses were given on a 10-point scale, where 1 = very unimportant reason and 10 = very important reason. Reasons to choose from included: 1 – Men’s opinion that household chores are women’s tasks, 2 – Reluctance to quarrel with one’s partner over the order and quality of chores, 3 – Not knowing how to do household chores quickly and properly, 4 – Reluctance to lose time and opportunities for personal improvement, 5 – Fear of tiredness, 6 – Reluctance to be devalued/sneered at by other men (such as friends, colleagues or superiors), 7 – Reluctance to be devalued/sneered at by other family members/relatives, 8 – Fear of losing male identity.
Source: Ministry of Social Security and Labour, 2007
Women’s behaviour
Reasons for not sharing childcare responsibilities
The respondents’ opinions are also quite evenly distributed with regard to the reasons why women with children do not share childcare responsibilities and household chores with their husbands. As in the previous case, the respondents again indicated as the main reasons their ‘husband’s opinion that childcare is women’s responsibility’ and ‘reluctance to interrupt career plans/refuse career opportunities’ (Table 5).
Some differences in the responses with regard to the different characteristics of the respondents are presented in Table 5. In their answers, men considered the following reasons as the most important: ‘mistrust, fear of the child being unsafe with the father due to the latter’s temper/behaviour’, ‘reluctance to quarrel over the order and quality of childcare’ as well as ‘fear of losing exceptional bond with the child’.
It should be noted that the overall evaluation of the reasons given was higher among older respondents and those living in rural areas.
| Q: Why do you think women with children do not share childcare responsibilities with their husbands? | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reason | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| All respondents | 7.4 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 6.6 | 6.7 | 7.0 | 7.2 |
| Gender | |||||||
| Men | 7.4 | 7.0 | 6.9 | 6.7 | 6.8 | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Women | 7.3 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 6.5 | 6.7 | 6.9 | 7.2 |
| Age | |||||||
| 18–25 years | 7.4 | 6.9 | 6.8 | 6.5 | 6.6 | 6.9 | 7.1 |
| 26–35 years | 7.1 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 6.4 | 6.5 | 6.8 | 6.9 |
| 36–45 years | 7.5 | 7.1 | 7.0 | 6.8 | 6.9 | 7.0 | 7.2 |
| 46–55 years | 7.4 | 6.9 | 7.0 | 6.7 | 6.8 | 7.2 | 7.4 |
| 56 years | 7.4 | 7.1 | 7.1 | 6.8 | 6.9 | 7.1 | 7.2 |
| Place of residence | |||||||
| Large city | 7.2 | 6.7 | 6.8 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 6.8 | 7.0 |
| Town | 7.3 | 7.0 | 6.8 | 6.6 | 6.7 | 6.9 | 7.1 |
| Rural area | 7.6 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 7.1 | 7.2 | 7.4 | 7.5 |
Notes: Responses were given on a 10-point scale, where 1 = very unimportant reason and 10 = very important reason. Reasons to choose from included: 1 – Husband’s opinion that childcare is women’s responsibility, 2 – Fear of reluctance on the part of the child's father/guardian to take parental leave, 3 – Mistrust, fear of the child not being properly looked after if left under father’s/guardian’s care, 4 – Mistrust, fear of the child being unsafe with the father/guardian due to the latter’s temper/behaviour, 5 – Reluctance to quarrel over the order and quality of childcare, 6 – Fear of losing exceptional bond with the child, 7 – Reluctance to interrupt career plans/refuse career opportunities.
Source: Ministry of Social Security and Labour, 2007
Reasons for not sharing household chores
The main reason why women with children do not share household chores with their husbands or partners is ‘directly (explicitly) expressed reluctance of the partner/husband to perform household chores’ (Table 6).
Men allocated more points than women to ‘mistrust of the husband’s ability to do household chores properly’, whereas women gave more points than their male counterparts to ‘avoidance by the partner to perform household chores despite verbal agreement to get involved’.
No differences emerged in the answers of respondents in different age groups, but the overall evaluation of the reasons was higher among the respondents living in rural areas, while the respondents living in urban areas found all of the reasons to be less significant.
| Q: Why do you think women with children do not share household chores with their husbands? | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reason | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| All respondents | 7.0 | 6.8 | 6.8 | 7.0 | 6.9 | 6.8 |
| Gender | ||||||
| Men | 7.1 | 6.9 | 6.8 | 7.0 | 6.8 | 6.8 |
| Women | 7.0 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 7.1 | 7.0 | 6.7 |
| Age | ||||||
| 18–25 years | 7.0 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 7.1 | 7.2 | 6.8 |
| 26–35 years | 6.9 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 6.8 | 6.7 | 6.5 |
| 36–45 years | 7.2 | 6.9 | 6.8 | 7.0 | 6.8 | 6.8 |
| 46–55 years | 7.0 | 6.9 | 7.0 | 7.1 | 7.0 | 6.8 |
| 56 years | 7.0 | 6.8 | 6.6 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 6.9 |
| Place of residence | ||||||
| Large city | 6.9 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 6.8 | 6.7 | 6.5 |
| Town | 6.7 | 6.6 | 6.7 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 6.7 |
| Rural area | 7.5 | 7.3 | 7.2 | 7.4 | 7.3 | 7.2 |
Notes: Responses were given on a 10-point scale, where 1 = very unimportant reason and 10 = very important reason. Reasons to choose from included: 1 – Husband’s opinion that household chores are women’s tasks. 2 – Mistrust of the husband’s ability to do household chores properly, 3 – Fear of losing own order at home, 4 – Directly (explicitly) expressed reluctance of the partner/husband to perform household chores, 5 – Avoidance by the partner to perform household chores despite verbal agreement to get involved, 6 – Reluctance to quarrel over the order and quality of chores.
Source: Ministry of Social Security and Labour, 2007
Attitudes towards balance between family and work obligations
Impediments to work–life balance
Respondents were asked to indicate the reasons mainly impeding them from achieving a better balance between their work-related and personal commitments (Table 7).
As many as 55% of respondents pointed out that the main reason impeding their work–life balance needs was their ‘desire/need to earn more’. Moreover, 23% of respondents highlighted their ‘desire to seek career development’ as the main obstacle to achieving a better work–life balance. ‘Pressure from management’ and ‘fear of losing one’s job’ shared the third and fourth places among the respondents’ answers – each accounting for 22% of the respondents’ answers.
It is also worth noting that there are no significant differences in the distribution of answers deviating from the general trend when looking at gender, marital status, presence of children in the household or sector of employment. Slightly more dispersed answers were recorded by age group and according to where respondents live: younger respondents and those living in larger cities more often indicated the need to advance in their career as one of the reasons impeding their work–life balance.
| Q: Which of the reasons below are the main impediments to better work–family balance for you? | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reason | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| All respondents | 22.4 | 22.1 | 8.2 | 1.6 | 4.4 | 54.8 | 23.1 | 5.1 |
| Gender | ||||||||
| Men | 21.7 | 20.7 | 9.2 | 1.6 | 3.0 | 54.6 | 21.5 | 5.4 |
| Women | 22.9 | 23.4 | 7.3 | 1.5 | 5.8 | 54.9 | 24.7 | 4.8 |
| Age | ||||||||
| 18–25 years | 19.4 | 13.9 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 43.1 | 36.1 | 12.5 |
| 26–35 years | 23.0 | 25.5 | 7.5 | 1.5 | 6.0 | 48.0 | 28.0 | 3.5 |
| 36–45 years | 21.9 | 23.3 | 10.0 | 1.4 | 3.3 | 62.4 | 19.0 | 4.8 |
| 46–55 years | 23.9 | 21.8 | 9.0 | 1.1 | 4.8 | 55.3 | 17.6 | 5.9 |
| 56 years | 21.1 | 18.9 | 7.4 | 1.1 | 3.2 | 60.0 | 23.2 | 2.1 |
| Marital status | ||||||||
| Single | 20.5 | 24.1 | 5.5 | 2.4 | 5.5 | 51.2 | 27.6 | 6.3 |
| Married | 23.3 | 24.1 | 9.5 | 1.5 | 4.0 | 53.2 | 23.1 | 5.1 |
| Other | 19.2 | 17.3 | 5.8 | 1.0 | 5.8 | 66.3 | 18.3 | 3.8 |
| Presence of children | ||||||||
| With children | 21.8 | 24.4 | 11.5 | 1.3 | 3.9 | 54.6 | 23.6 | 4.2 |
| Without children | 22.9 | 19.8 | 4.9 | 1.8 | 4.9 | 54.9 | 22.7 | 6.0 |
| Place of residence | ||||||||
| Large city | 16.4 | 20.2 | 7.3 | 1.3 | 4.4 | 56.5 | 32.5 | 7.3 |
| Town | 34.6 | 28.6 | 9.2 | 1.8 | 5.1 | 53.9 | 22.6 | 4.6 |
| Rural area | 19.0 | 18.6 | 8.7 | 1.7 | 3.9 | 53.2 | 10.8 | 2.6 |
| Sector of employment | ||||||||
| Private | 23.8 | 21.3 | 7.5 | 1.0 | 4.2 | 58.8 | 22.3 | 6.2 |
| Public | 22.4 | 27.3 | 11.2 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 52.7 | 29.8 | 3.4 |
Notes: No more than three answer categories were selected by respondents. Reasons to choose from included: 1 – Pressure from management, 2 – Fear of losing one’s job, 3 – Pressure from family members/necessity for more attention to be paid to them, 4 – Demands from friends or acquaintances to pay more attention to them, 5 – Fear of losing contacts with close acquaintances (other than colleagues), 6 – Desire/need to earn more, 7 – Desire to seek career development, 8 – Other.
Source: Ministry of Social Security and Labour, 2007
Important incentives while choosing an employer
According to the survey, when choosing an employer, the respondents mainly care – apart from wages – about the following: more flexible working hours allowing respondents to attend to family matters when necessary and to work the time taken for this purpose at a later stage (this answer was chosen by as many as 56% of the respondents); medical insurance and social events organised by the employer for the employees (each of these answers was chosen by 35% of the respondents). Other incentives such as ‘supplementary insurance services’ and ‘possibility to visit sport clubs, to attend language courses or to enjoy other similar services free of charge/at a discount’ were considered as important for respectively 23.8% and 25.1% of the respondents. No significant differences emerged between responses when looking at other background variables (Table 8).
| Q: How much do you, as an employee, care about methods of incentives while choosing an employer, not to mention the wage size and other direct financial criteria (for example, bonuses, additions, etc.)? | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incentive | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| All respondents | 55.8 | 5.6 | 6.1 | 35.0 | 23.8 | 25.1 | 34.8 | 10.8 |
| Gender | ||||||||
| Men | 54.9 | 5.7 | 4.9 | 34.0 | 25.0 | 21.7 | 33.2 | 10.3 |
| Women | 56.7 | 5.5 | 7.3 | 36.0 | 22.7 | 28.2 | 36.3 | 11.3 |
| Age | ||||||||
| 18–25 years | 58.3 | 4.2 | 6.9 | 27.8 | 20.8 | 31.9 | 34.7 | 12.5 |
| 26–35 years | 55.5 | 6.0 | 7.5 | 30.0 | 21.0 | 24.5 | 34.5 | 8.5 |
| 36–45 years | 55.2 | 5.2 | 6.7 | 38.1 | 29.5 | 28.6 | 34.3 | 11.9 |
| 46–55 years | 59.0 | 6.9 | 5.9 | 42.0 | 20.7 | 19.1 | 32.4 | 11.7 |
| 56 years | 49.5 | 4.2 | 2.1 | 30.5 | 25.3 | 25.3 | 41.1 | 10.5 |
| Marital status | ||||||||
| Single | 58.3 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 32.3 | 25.2 | 22.8 | 30.7 | 9.4 |
| Married | 56.4 | 6.3 | 6.4 | 36.0 | 24.4 | 25.9 | 35.0 | 11.0 |
| Other | 51.9 | 1.9 | 6.7 | 32.7 | 19.2 | 24.0 | 38.5 | 12.5 |
| Presence of children | ||||||||
| With children | 55.9 | 5.5 | 8.4 | 34.6 | 24.7 | 26.8 | 33.6 | 11.0 |
| Without children | 55.7 | 5.7 | 3.9 | 35.4 | 22.9 | 23.4 | 35.9 | 10.7 |
| Place of residence | ||||||||
| Large city | 53.0 | 5.0 | 5.4 | 35.3 | 24.3 | 27.8 | 36.3 | 14.5 |
| Town | 57.6 | 6.9 | 9.7 | 31.3 | 23.5 | 25.3 | 36.9 | 11.1 |
| Rural area | 58.0 | 5.2 | 3.9 | 38.1 | 23.4 | 21.2 | 30.7 | 5.6 |
| Sector of employment | ||||||||
| Private | 58.7 | 5.6 | 4.4 | 37.1 | 25.2 | 27.7 | 31.3 | 9.2 |
| Public | 55.6 | 5.4 | 10.2 | 35.6 | 24.9 | 23.4 | 47.3 | 16.6 |
Notes: No more than three answer categories were selected by respondents. Incentives to choose from included: 1 – More flexible working hours allowing for handling of family matters when necessary and working the time taken for this purpose at a later stage, 2 – Possibility to bring children to the workplace and leave them in a workplace family room, 3 – Employer-supervised kindergartens, classes or meetings for children, with working hours being matched to employees’ working hours and payment not exceeding usual charges in public kindergartens, 4 – Medical insurance, 5 – Supplementary insurance services, 6 – Possibility to visit sports clubs, to attend language courses or to enjoy other similar services free of charge/at a discount, 7 – Parties, events or trips organised by the employer for company employees, 8 – Parties, events or trips organised by the employer for the employees’ families and children.
Source: Ministry of Social Security and Labour, 2007
Discrimination of employees with or without children
According to most respondents (75%), employees with and without children enjoy equal opportunities in their company. Only 5.4% of total respondents and 5.2% of respondents with children indicated that employees with children suffered more discrimination at work as they often have less responsible job tasks or no career advancement opportunities (Table 9).
| Q: With regard to equal opportunities, do you think there is any discrimination of employees with/without children in your workplace? | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Answer | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| All respondents | 11.1 | 5.4 | 75.3 | 3.8 | 4.4 |
| Presence of children | |||||
| With children | 9.4 | 5.2 | 78.7 | 2.9 | 3.7 |
| Without children | 12.8 | 5.5 | 71.9 | 4.7 | 5.2 |
Notes: No more than three answer categories were selected by respondents. Answers to choose from included: 1 – Yes, employees with children enjoy more privileges/special provisions, 2 – Yes, employees with children experience more discriminating treatment in my workplace (in the form of being assigned less responsible job tasks, no career advancement opportunities, etc.), 3 – No, employees with children enjoy equal opportunities as other employees do, 4 – There are no employees with children in my workplace, 5 – No answer.
Source: Ministry of Social Security and Labour, 2007
Opportunity to adjust working hours
In total, 57% of the respondents stated that they would favour an opportunity to adjust working hours themselves subject to their personal needs and with the prior agreement of their superiors. Analysis of the distribution of answers of different groups of respondents shows that the opportunity to adjust working hours is most relevant to public sector employees (65%), as well as unmarried respondents (61%), respondents aged 26–35 years (61%) and respondents living in towns (60%) (Table 10). It is also interesting to note that most respondents with a flexible work schedule are found in the private sector, have children and live in large cities.
| Q: Would it be attractive for you to have an opportunity to adjust working hours yourself subject to your personal needs and the prior agreement of your superiors, provided that the number of working hours is 40 hours a week but you would have an opportunity to adjust the length of your working day on different days (for example, to work six hours one day and 10 hours another day, etc.)? | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | I am working under a free work schedule now and I am happy about it | I do not know | |
| All respondents | 56.9 | 10.3 | 11.0 | 21.6 |
| Gender | ||||
| Men | 53.5 | 8.7 | 11.7 | 25.5 |
| Women | 59.9 | 11.8 | 10.3 | 17.9 |
| Age | ||||
| 18–25 years | 55.6 | 5.6 | 9.7 | 29.2 |
| 26–35 years | 61.0 | 10.5 | 9.0 | 19.5 |
| 36–45 years | 56.2 | 11.0 | 12.9 | 20.0 |
| 46–55 years | 55.3 | 11.2 | 12.2 | 20.7 |
| 56 years | 53.7 | 10.5 | 9.5 | 25.3 |
| Marital status | ||||
| Single | 61.4 | 7.9 | 11.8 | 18.9 |
| Married | 55.9 | 11.7 | 11.0 | 21.0 |
| Other | 55.8 | 6.7 | 10.6 | 26.9 |
| Presence of children | ||||
| With children | 56.2 | 10.2 | 13.1 | 20.2 |
| Without children | 57.6 | 10.4 | 8.9 | 22.9 |
| Place of residence | ||||
| Large city | 57.4 | 10.4 | 12.0 | 20.2 |
| Town | 60.4 | 11.5 | 9.2 | 18.4 |
| Rural area | 52.8 | 9.1 | 11.3 | 26.4 |
| Sector of employment | ||||
| Private | 56.3 | 9.4 | 15.0 | 18.8 |
| Public | 64.9 | 12.2 | 2.9 | 20.0 |
Source: Ministry of Social Security and Labour, 2007
Conclusions
On the whole, it is quite difficult to evaluate the survey findings, because it is the first survey of its kind to be carried out in Lithuania and therefore no benchmark is available for drawing comparisons. In general, it can be concluded that the problem of work–life balance has not been discussed and addressed adequately by policymakers in Lithuania. In fact, the survey findings reveal that Lithuanians exhibit rather conservative attitudes towards work–life balance. Overall, respondents in younger age groups and with higher educational attainment are less conservative regarding the distribution of family obligations between men and women. The main reason impeding work–life balance is the desire or need to earn more money or to seek career development. Finally, according to the survey results, more flexible working hours is one of the most important factors in achieving a better work–life balance. Moreover, discrimination on the grounds of family composition is not a prevailing feature in the working life of most Lithuanians.
Annex: Questionnaire
1. Gender:
Men
Women
2. Age:
18–25 years
26–35 years
36–45 years
46–55 years
56 years
3. Education:
tertiary
secondary or upper secondary
lower secondary or primary
4. Family status:
si
ngle
married or living in common-law marriage
other
5. Main occupation:
white-collar worker
blue-collar worker or technician
self-employed
unemployed
retired person
student/pupil
housekeeper
6. Nationality:
Lithuanian
Russian
Polish
Other
7. Place of residence
Vilnius
Kaunas
Klaipėda
Šiauliai
Panevėžys
small city or town
rural area
8. Would you (your husband – in case of female respondent) agree to take parental leave (until the child turns one year old) if you have a baby?
Yes
Yes, in turn with the child’s mother (for example, each parent would take half of the period of parental leave)
No
9. Why do you think men with children do not take parental leave?’ (Responses on a 10-point scale, where 1 = very unimportant reason, 10 = very important reason)
Men’s opinion that childcare is women’s responsibility
Fear of not knowing how to behave with children
Mistrust on the part of the child’s mother, different [parents’] attitudes towards childcare
Reluctance to lose time and opportunities for personal improvement
Fear of tiredness
Reluctance to be devalued/sneered at by other men (such as friends, colleagues or superiors)
Reluctance to be devalued/sneered at by other family members/relatives
Fear of losing male identity
Reluctance to interrupt career plans/refuse career opportunities
10. What do you think prevents men with children from active participation in household chores (tidying/cleaning the house, washing/ironing/handling of clothing, cooking, dishwashing/handling, etc.)?’ (Responses on a 10-point scale, where 1 = very unimportant reason, 10 = very important reason).
Men’s opinion that household chores are women’s tasks
Reluctance to quarrel with one’s partner over the order and quality of chores
Not knowing how to do household chores quickly and properly
Reluctance to lose time and opportunities for personal improvement
Fear of tiredness
Reluctance to be devalued/sneered at by other men (such as friends, colleagues or superiors)
Reluctance to be devalued/sneered at by other family members/relatives
Fear of losing male identity
11. Why do you think women with children do not share childcare responsibilities with their husbands?’ (Responses on a 10-point scale, where 1 = very unimportant reason, 10 = very important reason).
Husband’s opinion that childcare is women’s responsibility
Fear of reluctance on the part of the child’s father/guardian to take parental leave
Mistrust, fear of the child not being properly looked after if left under father’s/guardian’s care
Mistrust, fear of the child being unsafe with the father/guardian due to the latter’s temper/behaviour
Reluctance to quarrel over the order and quality of childcare
Fear of losing exceptional bond with the child
Reluctance to interrupt career plans/refuse career opportunities
12. Why do you think women with children do not share household chores with their husbands?’ (Responses on a 10-point scale, where 1 = very unimportant reason, 10 = very important reason).
Husband’s opinion that household chores are women’s tasks
Mistrust of the husband’s ability to do household chores properly
Fear of losing own order at home
Directly (explicitly) expressed reluctance of the partner/husband to perform household chores
Avoidance by the partner to perform household chores despite verbal agreement to get involved
Reluctance to quarrel over the order and quality of chores
13. To which one of the below-listed categories do you attribute yourself?
Parents (not single) with children
Single mothers/fathers
Retired individuals rearing/minding children
Individuals living in legal or common-law marriage without children
Individuals living alone
Other
14. In which sector – public or private – are you working?
Public
Private
I am not working
15. Which of the reasons below are the main impediments to better work–family balance for you? (No more than three answer categories selected by respondents)
Pressure from management
Fear of losing one’s job
Pressure from family members/necessity for more attention to be paid to them
Demands from friends or acquaintances to pay more attention to them
Fear of losing contacts with close acquaintances (other than colleagues)
Desire/need to earn more
Desire to seek career development
Other
16. How much do you, as an employee, care about methods of incentives while choosing an employer, not to mention wage size and other direct financial criteria (for example, bonuses, additions, etc.)?’ (No more than three answer categories selected by respondents)
More flexible working hours allowing for handling of family matters when necessary and working the time taken for this purpose at a later stage
Possibility to bring children to the workplace and leave them in a workplace family room
Employer-supervised kindergartens, classes or meetings for children, with working hours being matched to employees’ working hours and payment not exceeding usual charges in public kindergartens
Medical insurance
Supplementary insurance services
Possibility to visit sports clubs, to attend language courses or to enjoy other similar services free of charge/at a discount
Parties, events or trips organised by the employer for company employees
Parties, events or trips organised by the employer for the employees’ families and children
17. With regard to equal opportunities, do you think there is any discrimination of employees with/without children in your workplace? (No more than three answer categories selected by respondents)
Yes, employees with children enjoy more privileges/special provisions
Yes, employees with children experience more discriminating treatment in my workplace (in the form of being assigned less responsible job tasks, no career advancement opportunities, etc)
No, employees with children enjoy equal opportunities as other employees do
There are no employees with children in my workplace
18. Would it be attractive for you to have an opportunity to adjust working hours yourself subject to your personal needs and the prior agreement of your superiors, provided that the number of working hours is 40 hours a week but you would have an opportunity to adjust the length of your working day on different days (for example, to work six hours one day and 10 hours another day, etc.)?
Yes
No
I am working under a free work schedule now and I am happy about it
I do not know
Inga Blažienė, Institute of Labour and Social Research
EF/09/37/EN
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (2009), Gender balance in work and family life, article.
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