Family Friendly Policies
When supporting parents and caregivers, we ensure that every young child gets the best start in life.
- Available in:
- Español
- English
Our Vision
The prosperity of societies depends on the development of the individuals that comprise them. In turn, the social and economic well-being of each of them is directly related to the decisions made by governments and companies, as they impact their lives.
We know that all fathers, mothers and caregivers, in addition to caring for and being in charge of raising their young children, must work to provide the means of subsistence for their families. That is why we believe that a society must ensure that families have the best conditions to provide their children with a loving and sensitive upbringing that is full of learning opportunities.
Family Friendly Policies contribute to the human development of countries and particularly to early childhood, since they allow mothers, fathers and caregivers to balance work and personal life and the care of children. They also have other benefits such as reducing the costs of absenteeism and staff turnover, promoting the retention and commitment of human talent, and can even contribute to boosting productivity. Therefore, as a whole, Family Friendly Policies not only benefit families but also have positive effects for companies and society in general.
What are Family Friendly Policies?
They are a set of decisions and actions that favor parents and caregivers so that they can balance their work and family life. To achieve their goal, these policies generally seek to provide three types of resources that are essential for parents and caregivers of young children: time, finances, and services.
We have identified five types of workplace policies related to these three critical resources for families:
- Paid parental leave: these are measures that ensure that mothers and fathers spend adequate time bonding with their biological or adopted children and meeting their health, nutrition, and developmental needs.
- Support for breastfeeding mothers: these are measures that guarantee exclusive breastfeeding for six months and the possibility of continuing breastfeeding for as long as the mothers choose.
- Comprehensive early childhood care and development services: these are the set of benefits that all families can access to guarantee their children quality care and support for their optimal early childhood development.
- Cash transfers: these are regulations that seek, on the one hand, to ensure that fathers and mothers have decent wages and, on the other hand, that they can access a minimum cash allowance based on the needs of each worker and his or her family.
- Parenting and violence prevention programs: these are counseling services for parents and caregivers to improve their parenting skills; they also help prevent or reduce cases of child abuse in the home and the use of violent discipline.
The changes we seek to promote in the countries
From maternity leave to parental leave
We promote that both the mother and the father can have the time and support necessary to strengthen the bond of attachment with their baby and provide the loving and sensitive care required for early childhood development.
From individual responsibility to co-responsibility
The balance between work and family responsibilities is an issue that needs to be addressed by fathers and mothers alike and, in addition to families, also by governments and employers.
From infrastructure to people
To support families, investment is needed, not only in infrastructure, but also in working conditions that protect against discrimination and dismissal for maternity reasons, promotion of breastfeeding with reduced working hours, breastfeeding breaks and lactation rooms.
From stress reduction in caregivers to improved family wellbeing
Family-oriented policies, in addition to reducing stress from living conditions and work environments that affect parenting, can also foster more productive businesses, happier families, and healthier children.
Why is investing in family-oriented policies good for everyone?
They are good for children in early childhood, because:
- They are one of the most effective ways to improve people's skills and, ultimately, productivity.
- While all parents want to do the best for their children, many have no choice but to work all day. This means being away from home, spending a lot of time commuting, and not having time for their daughters and young children.
They are good for women because:
- They make it easier for women to be gainfully employed and contribute to the family income by having childcare services.
- They encourage parents to share parenting responsibilities, helping to redistribute care and household chores.
- They prevent women from dropping out of the labor force, helping to reduce the gender wage gap.
They are good for business because:
- When companies offer favorable policies to fathers and mothers, it increases labor retention, reduces absenteeism, and reduces recruitment costs.
- When companies enable fathers, and especially mothers, to advance their careers, they attract the best talent, boost employee engagement and morale, become more competitive, improve their corporate reputation, and move toward global sustainability standards.
They are good for the economy because:
- They stimulate economic growth and national GDP.
- Because women's equal participation in the workforce contributes to the economy (according to a 2015 McKinsey report, women would add $12 trillion to the global economy by 2025), it also strengthens countries.