In an era of globalization, capitalist economic model, and the struggle for competitiveness on
the market, parenthood has been sidelined. The population is ageing, and the birth rate is
largely declining. Since family policy is important for national development, it was key to
create opportunities for working parents to take up more flexible forms of employment. In this
context, Slovenia implemented the Parental Care and Family Benefits Act (ZSDP-1, adopted
in 2001 and amended in 2014), which regulates parental rights and enables parttime work
schedule up to a certain age of the child after the expiry of the official parental leave. This
was intended to create more family-friendly conditions at a national level and make it easier
to reconcile work and family responsibilities. The thesis of this dissertation, which I try to
substantiate by reviewing relevant literature and empirical research, will try to show that
women who benefit from “parttime work due to parenthood” find it easier to reconcile work
and family responsibilities, a direct result of an improved well-being. This is displayed at the
psychological level by increased satisfaction and motivation, on the physical level through
better health, and on the social level, through greater involvement in the domestic sphere.
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