Adjustment of working hours as a measure for balancing family and work life

A lo largo de la historia la mujer ha asumido el rol de cuidadora tanto a nivel social como en el contexto familiar, de manera que su carrera profesional ha quedado relegada a un segundo plano para dar paso a responsabilidades propias de los cuidados de los descendientes y familiares dependientes. En consecuencia, se ha requerido un importante desarrollo legislativo para garantizar la igualdad de condiciones y la lucha contra la discriminación en el ámbito laboral. En este contexto, presentan una importancia notable las medidas de conciliación de la vida laboral, familiar y personal pero, tradicionalmente, se han basado en los derechos de ausencia, con consecuencias negativas en la carrera profesional y de cotización de las mujeres. A los efectos de reducir su impacto, en los últimos años se viene fomentando la corresponsabilidad y las fórmulas de trabajo flexible que permiten la adaptación de la jornada. Por su actualidad e importancia, este trabajo se centra en el análisis del derecho a solicitar la adaptación de jornada regulado en el art. 34.8 del Estatuto de los Trabajadores, recientemente reformado por el RDl 5/2023, de 28 de junio.Throughout history, women have assumed the role of caregivers both at the societal level and within the family context, resulting in their professional careers taking a back seat to responsibilities related to the care of offspring and dependent family members. Consequently, significant legislative development has been required to ensure equal conditions and combat discrimination in the workplace. In this context, measures aimed at balancing work, family, and personal life have been of notable importance. However, traditionally, these measures have been based on rights to absence, with negative consequences for women's careers and contribution records. In recent years, there has been a push to reduce the impact of these consequences by promoting shared responsibility and flexible work arrangements that allow for schedule adaptation. Given its current relevance and importance, this paper focuses on the analysis of the right to request schedule adaptation, as regulated in Article 34.8 of the Workers' Statute, which was recently amended by Royal Decree-Law 5/2023, dated June 28th .Grado en Derech