Concerns about the appropriate balance between work and family life have intensified as growth in female labour market participation has been accompanied by falling fertility and the prospect of an ageing population. The importance of this area for policy has led to a growing body of research, to which ESRI researchers have recently contributed.† One of the papers specifically explores the various types of flexible working mechanisms and the relationship with work-life conflict, using data from the 2003 Changing Workplaces Survey,1 a nationally representative survey of employees in Ireland, which provides a unique and comprehensive picture of contemporary Irish workplaces. The other papers focus on Ireland’s situation in an international comparative context, drawing on the 2004 European Social Survey
