Words, like anything else, can lose part of their meaning through excessive usage. "Balance in itself means nothing in particular," says Constanza Tobío, a researcher at Carlos III University in Madrid. "What does it mean when we are talking about a traditional family unit where the woman works but is still in charge of all the family obligations? There are many types of work-family balancing models."

Tobío adds that not all models have the same effect on different sets of parents and their children, and all of them often end up having undesired side effects.

Measures such as opening more public daycare centres - the Socialist Party promised 300,000 new slots ahead of the general elections- signing kids up to extracurricular activities, and extending  school hours even during the holidays (a move that parent associations want to bring to all schools), can negatively affect children, who spend many hours outside the home from a very early age. In fact, their days can often be as overburdened as their parents' or even more so. The Spanish Psychiatry Association estimates that around 40 percent of children suffer from stress, with one of the leading causes being the accelerated pace of their lives.

Some experts, such as Irene Balaguer of the Rosa Sensat Teacher Association, believe that the quality of all these extra activities need to be greatly improved, while others think the answer is for parents  to spend more time  with their kids.

"Work-life balance measures are good if they help you spend more time with your kids;  otherwise they're pointless," says Jesús García Pérez, a pediatrician and president of the Federation of Child Abuse Prevention Associations in Spain.

But focusing on other policies such as shorter working days, paid home leave or  stipends for families with children can have adverse effects because usually it is women who are obliged to reduce their workload or leave their jobs for various periods of time. This can act as   a setback to their careers, says Tobío, citing Germany as an example.

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