Work-life balance has drawn much attention from academic researchers, professionals, and politicians over the past two decades. However, despite the increased interest globally, there has been an under-representation of academic work on work-life balance across the African continent. So, this book serves as a collection of cases from various contexts across Africa and an exploration of the challenges and how best to manage human resources in this ‘Mother Continent’ with phenomenal potential. The book’s contributions draw on various types of research (conceptual, theoretical and empirical) and incorporate contextual issues such as technology, politics, culture, and economics to supplement the readers’ insights into the varying work-life balance experiences in African countries. By highlighting theoretical underpinnings and emphasising the practical relevance of issues related to managing work and non-work commitments, this book will offer an insightful guide for students and scholars interested in Business Management, Human Resource Management, Sociology of Work, and Industrial and Organisational Psychology in developing economies.

In today’s globalised world economy, it is becoming increasingly pressing to shine a light on the interface of work and private life. In order to fully understand the issue we must take an inclusive view and not limit our understanding to Western perspectives. This contributed volume encompasses research and perspectives from the global south, including Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and South America. In doing so, this collection fills a gap in existing literature to give a broader view of the topic. Divided by geographic territory into three sections, the book combines original research, case studies and interviews as well as comparative studies. Chapters cover a wide range of emerging issues including gender and work-life balance; the role of culture; men and household work and work and family balance, to name a few. Crucially, the book offers critical perspectives and understanding of work-life interface/balance/conflict as a collection of conceptual, theoretical, and empirical studies that draws on qualitative and mixed methodologies. Bringing a unique contribution to the field, this book is a useful resource for students, academics, managers and policy makers.

Many regard the ways in which paid work can be combined or ‘balanced’ with other parts of life as an individual concern and a small, rather self-indulgent problem in today’s world. Some feel that worrying about a lack of time or energy for family relationships or friendships is a luxury or secondary issue when compared with economic growth or development. In the business world and among many Governments around the world, the importance of paid work and the primacy of economic competitiveness, whatever the personal costs, is almost accepted wisdom. Profits and short term efficiency gains are often placed before social issues of care or human dignity. But what about the impact this has on men and women’s well being, or the long-term sustainability of people, families, society or even the economy? Drawing from interviews and group meetings in seven diverse countries – India, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, the UK and USA – this book explores the multiple difficulties in combining paid work with other parts of life and the frustrations people experience in diverse settings. There is a myth that ‘work-life balance’ can be achieved through quick fixes rather than challenging the place of paid work in people’s lives and the way work actually gets done. As well as exploring contemporary problems, this book attempts to seed hope and new ways of thinking about one of the key challenges of our time.

Work-life Balance, Employee Health and Wellbeing delves into the connections between occupational responsibilities and personal happiness. Comparing policy, organisational practice and individual experiences of employees’ working lives, it provides practical advice for management and policy improvement.

This book examines how individuals and organizations in Africa have found ways to integrate work and life roles effectively. It reflects on the notions that while many cultures have embraced women’s participation in the workplace, African culture has been more resistant to change thereby forcing companies and employees to invent their own solutions. This presents its own set of challenges, for example African organizations are generally not up to speed with the family-friendly policies that are required in the modern workplace; the effectiveness of such policies is questionable and there is an increasing realization that work-family policies are not the only way to achieve work-life integration and others may be considered, such as workplace mentoring and introducing incentives. With this in mind the authors consider multiple approaches to balancing work and life responsibilities with emphasis on three perspectives, namely organizational, individual and family and cultural. The book highlights and examines the joint responsibility that organizations, leaders and individuals have in achieving work life integration. Secondly the book considers why work-life integration initiatives fail and identifies the sources and remedies for these failures. Each chapter discusses the role of the identified dimensions necessary for collective achievement of work-life integration, while the final chapter sets out further research avenues and a conceptual framework that brings together the findings of the book.

How’s Life? charts whether life is getting better for people in 37 OECD countries and 4 partner countries. This fifth edition presents the latest evidence from an updated set of over 80 indicators, covering current well-being outcomes, inequalities, and resources for future well-being.

Identity matters. Who we are in terms of our intersecting identities such as gender, race, social class, (dis)ability, geography, and religion are integral to who we are and how we navigate work and life. Unfortunately, many people have yet to grasp this understanding and, as a result, so many of our work spaces lack appropriate responses to what this means. Therefore, Identity Intersectionalities, Mentoring, and Work?life (Im)balance: Educators (Re)negotiate the Personal, Professional, and Political, the most recent installment of the work?life balance series, uses an intersectional perspective to critically examine the concept of work?life balance. In an effort to build on the first book in the series, that focused on professors in educational leadership preparation programs, the authors here represent educators across the P?20 pipeline (primary and secondary schools in addition to higher education). This book is also unique in that it includes the voices of practitioners, students, and academics from a variety of related disciplines within the education profession, enabling the editors to include a diverse group of educators whose many voices speak to work?life balance in unique and very personal ways. Contributing authors challenge whether the concept of work?life balance might be conceived as a privileged –and even an impractical?endeavor. Yet, the bottom line is, conceptions of work?life balance are exceptionally complex and vary widely depending on one’s many roles and intersecting identities. Moreover, this book considers how mentoring is important to negotiating the politics that come with balancing work and life; especially, if those intersecting identities are frequently associated with unsolicited stereotypes that impede upon one’s academic, professional and personal pursuits in life. Finally, the editors argue that the power to authentically “be ourselves” is not only important to individual success, but also beneficial to fostering an institutional culture and climate that is truly supportive of and responsive to diversity, equity, and justice. Taken together, the voices in this book are a clarion call for P?12 and higher education professionals and organizations to envision how identity intersectionalities might become an every?day understanding, a normalized appreciation, and a customary commitment that translates into policy and practice.

About the publication This book addresses poverty, one of the important issues confronting Africa, from a multi-disciplinary approach. With contributions from eminent scholars from diverse backgrounds, the book explores poverty from a human rights perspective. Its central message is that poverty is not necessarily a failure on the part of an individual, but rather caused by the actions or inactions of governments, which are often exacerbated by structural inequalities in many African societies. This in turn requires a more pragmatic approach grounded in respect for human rights. Exploring the link between poverty and human rights in Africa will be useful to researchers, policymakers, students, activists and others interested in addressing poverty. Table of Contents PREFACE viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS x CONTRIBUTORS xi 1. General introduction to poverty and human rights in Africa Ebenezer Durojaye & Gladys Mirugi-Mukundi 1 Introduction 2 Understanding poverty 3 Nexus between poverty and human rights 4 Significance of this book 4.1 The relevance 5 Overview of the book 5.1 Section I: Trends and incidence of poverty in Africa 5.2 Section II: Poverty and socio-economic rights 5.3 Section III: Poverty and vulnerable groups 5.4 Section IV: Poverty and access to justice 2. Integrating a human rights approach to food security in national plans and budgets: The South African National Development Plan Julian May 1 Introduction 2 Human rights and food security 3 Development planning and human rights 4 The components of budgeting for human rights 4.1 Diagnostic analysis 4.2 Identifying interventions and budget prioritisation 4.3 Estimating the financial costs of achieving food security 4.5 Estimating social and economic benefits 5 Public expenditure management for food security 5.1 Fiscal and monetary policy 5.2 Multi-year budgeting 6 Conclusion 3. Is South Africa winning the war on poverty and inequality? What do the available statistics tell us? Emmanuel Sekyere, Steven Gordon, Gary Pienaar & Narnia Bohler-Muller 1 Introduction 1.1 Income inequality in South Africa 2 Poverty and human development trends in South Africa 2.1 South African Social Attitudes Survey: Perceptions of poverty 2.2 Human development 3 Access to services 4 Addressing social inequality in South Africa 4.1 Addressing income inequality in South Africa 4.2 Addressing human development challenges 4.3 Addressing service delivery 5 Conclusion and summary of findings 4. Who really ‘state-captured’ South Africa? Revealing silences in poverty, inequality and structurally-corrupt capitalism Patrick Bond 1 Introduction 2 Inequality, the state and its ‘capture’ 3 The political economy of the capitalist state 4 World Bank inequality denialism 5 The fight between hostile brothers: The ‘Zuptas’ and ‘White Monopoly Capital’ 6 Social resistances 5. Poverty, women and the human right to water for growing food Ngcimezile Mbano-Mweso 1 Introduction 2 The human right to water 2.1 Recognition in international law 2.2 Definition and content: Is there a right to water for growing food? 2.3 Normative content of the human right to water for growing food 3 Conclusion 6. The link between environmental pollution and poverty in Africa Olubayo Oluduro 1 Introduction 2 Legal framework for the protection of the environment in Africa 3 Nature of environmental pollution in Africa 3.1 Environmental pollution in Africa: Case studies of some countries 4 Nexus between pollution and poverty 4.1 Environmental pollution leads to diversion of labour 4.2 Increased burden of disease in poor countries 4.3 Problem of food security 4.4 Right to safe drinking water 5 Protecting the environment to fight poverty and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals 6 Recommendations 6.1 Political commitment 6.2 Promotion of education and information sharing 6.3 Eliminating poverty 7 Conclusion 138 7. Alleviating poverty through retirement reforms Kitty Malherbe 1 Introduction 2 Poverty among older persons 3 Current social security provision for older persons 4 Arguments for the reform of the current retirement income system 5 Proposed retirement reforms 5.1 Comprehensive social security and retirement reform process 5.2 Reforms proposed by National Treasury 6 Constitutional principles guiding reforms 6.1 Coordinated approach 6.2 Inclusivity 6.3 Progressive realisation 6.4 Governance and accountability 6.5 Availability of resources 6.6 ‘Lifespan’ view to addressing poverty 7 Potential impact of social security and retirement income reforms 8. Disability, poverty and human rights in Africa: Opportunities for poverty reduction from the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Enoch M Chilemba 1 Introduction 2 Poverty, disability and human rights link in Africa 2.1 Persons with disabilities in Africa: Among the poorest of the poor 2.2 Poverty, disability and human rights linkage 3 Utilising the opportunities from CRPD in countering obstacles relating to disability and poverty in Africa 3.1 Fostering equality and non-discrimination to reduce poverty 3.2 Fostering inclusive education to eradicate poverty 3.3 Enhancing employment in the open labour market to eradicate poverty 3.4 Ensuring social protection to reduce poverty 4 Conclusion 188 9.The co-existence of gender inequality and poverty Nomthandazo Ntlama 1 Introduction 2 SADC’s transformative vision in eliminating gender inequalities and poverty 2.1 Reducing poverty and eliminating gender inequality: A mammoth task 2.2 Towards a transformative region: Advancing the principles of the community of nations 3 Conclusion 10. The potential of the African human rights system in addressing poverty Bright Nkrumah 1 Introduction 2 Norm creation and norm enforcement: Issues and implications 2.1 Normative framework for addressing poverty 2.2 African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights 2.3 Little angels: African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child 2.4 Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa 3 Other instruments relating to poverty 3.1 AU Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (Anti-Corruption Convention) 3.2 Declaration on Employment and Poverty Alleviation in Africa 3.4 Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme 4 Institutional frameworks for addressing poverty 4.1 African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights 4.2 African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child 4.3 African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights 4.4 Need for complementarity: The road not taken 5 Other related mechanisms 5.1 New Partnership for Africa’s Development 5.2 African Peer Review Mechanism 6 International best practice dealing with poverty 7 Concluding reflections 11. Realising access to justice for the poor: Lessons from working with rural communities Victoria Balogun 1 Introduction 2 What is access to justice for the poor? 3 How are non-profit organisations such as the Centre for Community Justice and Development promoting access to justice in South Africa post-1994? 4 Are there any barriers to access to justice and do they have any implication(s) for the poor in poor communities? 5 The intersection between poverty and access to justice for poor communities 6 Access to justice, the role of legal aid offices and the commitment to serve the poor in poor communities 7 Equality and access to justice for the poor 8 Conclusion 12. The role of the South African Human Rights Commission in ensuring state accountability to address poverty Rachael Adams 1 Introduction 2 Poverty and human rights 2.1 International human rights law 2.2 Poverty and human rights in South Africa 2.3 Socio-economic rights 3 What do we mean by state accountability? 3.1 State accountability 4 South African Human Rights Commission 4.1 Mandate and functions 4.2 Reporting requirements 5 Structures of accountability 5.1 Complaints 5.2 Reporting 6 Inequality and intersectional discrimination 6.1 Interdependence of rights and the role of government 7 Conclusion: The role of the South African Human Rights Commission

Problems associated with work-family conflict do not belong to individual families alone, but have a major social and economic impact on the greater community. This scenario also holds true across sub-Saharan Africa, as nations enter the global economy and rising numbers of women enter the workforce. One of the first resources to focus on this region, Work-Family Interface in Sub-Saharan Africa probes rarely-studied dimensions of conflict between paid employment and family responsibilities. It balances theoretical background, empirical findings and current and emerging interventions for an insightful and practical review of ongoing issues affecting working women with families. Coverage contrasts concepts of work and family between the developing world and the West and related social concerns such as gender expectations and sexual harassment are examined in the work context. The book describes a range of family strategies for resolving work-family friction and chapters end with policy recommendations as first steps toward remedying longstanding challenges. Among the thought-provoking dispatches: Ghana: Managing work and family demands Nigeria: Strain-based family interference with work Botswana: The social impact of job transfer policy on dual-career families Kenya: The role of household help in work-family balance South Africa: State measures toward work-care integration Zambia: The quest for a family policy As evinced by these chapters, progress is gradual and far from uniform. As a guide for future study and future policy, Work-Family Interface in Sub-Saharan Africa is a substantial reference for sociologists, public health professionals, public and social policymakers and administrators.

Disruptions are being caused in the workplace due to the development of advanced software technology and the speed at which these technological advancements are being produced. These disruptions could take diverse forms and affect various aspects of work and the lives of entities in the workplaces and families of the individual employees. Work and family are caught in the crossfire between technological disruptions and human adaptation. Hence, there is a need to assess the overall effect that the Fourth Industrial Revolution would have on work, employee work-family satisfaction, and employee well-being. Future of Work, Work-Family Satisfaction, and Employee Well-Being in the Fourth Industrial Revolution is a critical reference source that discusses practical solutions and strategies to manage challenges and address fears regarding the effect of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on the future of employment and the workforce. Featuring research on topics such as corporate governance, job satisfaction, and mental health, this book is ideally designed for human resource professionals, business managers, industry professionals, government officials, policymakers, corporate strategists, consultants, work-life balance experts, human resources software developers, business policy experts, academicians, researchers, and students.