Family Friendly Working and Low Income Families – Policy Briefing

There is increasing recognition of the value of family friendly and flexible ways of working to employers, families and communities in Scotland. But much of the debate over recent years has been concentrated among middle and high income employers and employees, where flexibility has grown to be viewed as a point of competitive advantage.

Less attention has been focused on the experiences of low income families, although there is growing concern about the economic situation of ‘just managing families’. In order to better understand the experiences and needs of lower income families, Family Friendly Working Scotland commissioned original interviews and focus groups with low income parents, analysed alongside existing quantitative data from consecutive Growing Up in Scotland studies.