Story
31 March 2026
Balancing work and care, without having to choose
As a Sub-Branch Manager in the banking sector, she carries significant professional responsibilities. But thanks to flexible working arrangements introduced in her workplace, she says the balance has changed.“Flexible arrangements allow me to balance family responsibilities with my professional ambitions. I can grow in my career while remaining present for my family,” she says. Marija is one of 3,533 employees across 12 private sector companies who gained access in 2025 to structured gender-responsive family policies through support from the United Nations Kosovo Team under the Expanding Choices initiative.Across banking, finance, information technology, services and manufacturing, participating companies introduced flexible and hybrid work arrangements, along with policies encouraging shared caregiving responsibilities between women and men. The changes respond to one of the most persistent structural barriers to women’s participation in the labour market: the unequal burden of unpaid care work.For Loreta Tahiri, that shift is also visible in workplace culture. She works in an environment where Expanding Choices and the Women’s Empowerment Principles are part of the company’s philosophy. “In addition to recruitment and related activities, I lead a team responsible for developing and implementing family-friendly policies and initiatives. These efforts help strengthen team spirit and make employees proud to be part of the company,” she says.Available data show that women’s labour force participation remains significantly lower than men’s, shaped by unpaid care responsibilities and persistent gender-based discrimination in employment. Women continue to spend substantially more time on unpaid care work, limiting their opportunities to enter and remain in formal employment.Against that backdrop, family-friendly workplace policies can make a real difference. Within the companies participating in the initiative, 40 per cent of employees reached were women, reflecting progress toward more inclusive workplaces that support women’s career development.The effort extends beyond individual companies. Seven civil society organizations endorsed family-friendly workplace standards, while 25 private sector entities committed to the Women’s Empowerment Principles, a joint initiative of UN Women and the United Nations Global Compact that guides businesses in promoting gender equality in the workplace, marketplace and community.Research and policy dialogue are reinforcing these changes. The report Unlocking Potential: The Economic Cost of Women’s Untapped Potential, developed with support from the Riinvest Institute, highlights the economic implications of low participation of women in the labour market and points to barriers such as limited access to affordable childcare and gaps in parental leave frameworks.For employees like Marija and Loreta, these changes are already tangible. And as more companies adopt gender-responsive practices, Expanding Choices is showing how cooperation between the private sector, civil society and the United Nations can help widen opportunities for women and families, while contributing to more inclusive and sustainable economic development. For more testimonials on Expanding Choices, please see:
