Nowadays more women are entering workforce compared to the past. However they face many problems when building their careers. The aim of the thesis was to describe this topic in a complex way, explain problems that are related to women's career and also name reasons for companies why they should pay attention to it. The thesis includes a case study of an international employer in Slovak republic that describes the company's attitude to the topic.

Abstract Employees experience challenges managing home and work. The increase of women in the workforce, single-parents, childcare, elder care responsibilities, and men in nontraditional roles warrant changes in traditional working hours and flexibility in work schedules. Through the theoretical frameworks of work-family conflict, spillover, border, and boundary theories, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how flexible work arrangements (FWAs) assisted employees in meeting work and family obligations. Minimal research is available in the defense industry and the use of FWAs. A nonprobability, convenience sample was used to explore how management and nonmanagement participants from a Midwest defense contractor used FWAs. An online questionnaire consisting of 59 questions and 14 face-to-face (FTF) interviews were used to collect data. There were 27 participants that responded to all online questions. FTF interviews were audio recorded and member-checked. The research questions were focused on how employees used FWAs and whether work-family balance (WFB) was achieved. Both data collection media were transcribed and inductively coded tracking emerging themes and patterns. Dominant themes showed that FWA increased WFB, employees worked longer hours, employees were loyal to the organization, and telecommuting was the ideal FWA. The implications for social change are providing a realistic view to employers on the importance of balancing work and family. FWAs are also shown to contribute to employee satisfaction and attract and retain highly-skilled workers.

Denna avhandling undersöker könsrollerna på arbetsplatsen i de utvalda japanska bästsäljande filmerna som producerades under de senaste tre decennierna, vilket upplevde införandet av politiska åtgärder som avser att förbättra jämställdheten på arbetsplatsen. Studien hävdar att trots de samhälleliga och politiska förändringarna i Japan under de senaste trettio åren har bästsäljande filmer behållit traditionella könsrollsskildringar. Förklaringen kan vara att det är mycket lättare att ändra regler och lagstiftningar än uppfattningen om könsroller, som länge har existerat i samhället. / This thesis examines the gender roles in the workplace featured in the selected Japanese bestseller films produced in the last three decades, which saw the introduction of policies aimed at improving gender equality in the workplace. The study argues that despite societal and political changes in Japan in the last thirty years bestseller films have perpetuated traditional portrayal of gender roles. The explanation could be that it is much easier to change rules and legislations, than the perception on gender roles, which have existed in the society for a long time.