Being there to care: the impact of a 30-hour work week on social relationships – evidence from a women’s organization in Belgium

Looking into a 30-hour work week trial in a women’s organization in Belgium, this paper investigates how the time for intimate family relationships has changed going into a shorter work week and how the women experienced those relationships during the experiment. Based on time-diary data gathered in a pre-during design and qualitative in-depth interviews and focus groups with the female employees, we find that more time is spent on core activities with children and partner (bonding social capital) at the expense of time with friends and extended family. The women experience the time with their family as more relaxed and some feel more attentively present, especially those women with children. The paper reflects on the link between these social relationships and care work, and the potential trend towards privatism (Habermas, 1973 [Legitimation Crisis. Polity Press]).