Abstract

This article studies how local politicians combine work and family with their political activity. Local political office is often not a fulltime function and requires the combination with another professional activity. In combination with a family, local politicians combine three life spheres. The data consists of 259 in-depth interviews with local Flemish politicians conducted in 2013. They show the predominance of the political sphere, and which is more difficult to combine with family responsibilities than with another professional activity. Local politicians develop a number of strategies to manage the combination of the different spheres, like downsizing work and family duties, but also segmenting the different spheres so as to have politics not spill over into family life and blocking time for the latter. Finally, a gender pattern emerges from the data. Women local politicians find it harder to downsize family duties than their male colleagues, who leave the management of and care for the family sphere to their partner.

How to Cite:

Meier, P., Mortelmans, D. & Emery, L., (2018) “Strategieën om politiek en privé met elkaar te verzoenen: Vlaamse lokale mandaathouders”, Sociologos 39(4), 428–448. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/sociologos.86992