Work-life balance is often a top priority for employees and companies are slowly making progress in providing the needed flexibility. However, more than half of U.S. employees do not have the option of part time work or flexibility with their work schedules. The need for flexibility exists not only for workers with small children, but for aging baby boomers with eldercare issues and those who wish to stay in the workforce past retirement.
See "On the frontier of flexibility -
Slowly, companies are offering flexible schedules - a key demand of workers", Stacy A. Teicher, The Christian Science Monitor, June 6, 2004