And what about those who don't have children?

And what about those who don't have children?

Family-friendly policies, balanced lifestyles - call them what you will - tend to be focused on employees with children or, sometimes, elderly relatives to care for. But what about the people who are working so hard that - to put it bluntly - they have not got round to having a family?

Toni Pincott, an accountant working for a firm in London, is herself married, but she points out that many people she knows are either unmarried or divorced and, as a result of the pressures put on them by work, lack the opportunity to build a social life. If they do not want to form a relationship in the workplace - which brings many well-documented hazards - they can find themselves extremely frustrated.

"I know women who want to have a baby, but do not have a partner. They do not want to go for the first man they meet just because their `clock' is ticking," she says.

Her argument lends support to the idea that organisations such as WFD and the companies that employ them need to take account of people other than those who fit into conventional families. Indeed, those companies that make special arrangements for employees with children risk alienating those who are not in that position, who feel that they are having to work even harder to make up for those who have been given flexibility.

And then there is the case of women who have partners and want children, but have the "breadwinning role" in families. In many cases, she suggests, no amount of flexibility will make up for the loss of income in such situations - though it may help if the male partner has a job that lends itself to a regular routine.

Nor, says Ms Pincott, is flexitime necessarily the answer, given the fact that many city workers spend a good deal of time commuting. Her own husband - they have no children - is a computer analyst and clocks on early in order to leave in the late afternoon to play golf. But, she adds, such a situation would not suit the person who wants to be able to go out with friends after work, but cannot because of a sudden crisis.

As a member of the Women in Banking and Finance networking group, she regularly debates with colleagues how such issues can be dealt with in an industry that is still male-dominated. In fact, the dominance of men in the profession - despite the rising numbers of women at entry level - demonstrates that many women give up such positions long before they have children. This may be, says Ms Pincott, who is 34, because women tend to be less prepared than their male counterparts to make the sacrifices and compromise their lifestylesn

RT