Work-life balance is a popular topic both in European and gradually also Czech sociology and in European strategies for employment and for dealing with population ageing. The article explores the topic of work-life balance from a theoretical perspective, in the context of contemporary European and world sociology, and from an empirical perspective, on the basis of a representative sociological survey of a population of parents conducted in 2005. The hypothesis of the pressure people experience to combine work and a family and gendered culture (Van der Lippe, Jager, Kops 2006), which puts the Czech Republic in the ranks of not very progressive countries in terms of gender equality, is verified in this survey, because, even though the majority of parents claimed that they are able to combine work and a family, there are nonetheless clear structural obstacles stemming from the design of public policies and institutions, which obstruct this balance. The Czech labour market is not parent or family-friendly, and parenthood (especially motherhood) is a handicap in the Czech labour market. Work-life balance is not the subject of any public or political discussion, and consequently Czech parents do not usually have a comprehensive view of the problem and regard it as serious. Mothers and fathers know that combining work and family is the reality of their lives and at the same time a private problem that they try to solve by means of various strategies.
The study attempts to fill a certain space within the paradigm of the activities of the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia which were driven by the desire to maintain the hegemony of the ruling party. The space in question concerns the regime’s relationship towards alcohol consumption. The methodology consists of an analysis of certain risks and gains associated with the consumption of alcoholic beverages. The Communist regime was able to reflect upon them, which was in their own interest. Next, certain anti-alcohol measures are examined, as well as key interventions in production and distribution of alcoholic beverages, in order to confront them with the publically proclaimed goals in the area of anti-alcohol efforts and the resulting figures of alcohol consumption. The final aspects of the separately analysed relationship of the Communist regime towards alcohol consumption cannot, when considered in isolation, identify key factors that supported the legitimacy of Communist rule, but they do offer valuable insight into one of the channels that make up the complicated structure of bilateral channels of the Communist regime and society.
Příspěvek přináší informace o nepůvodních savcích ostrova Sokotra a jejich vlivu na místní ekosystémy. Nejvýraznějším problémem je nadměrná pastva dobytka. Nadměrné spásání je výsledkem rostoucí početnosti populací domácích zvířat, zejména koz v důsledku zvýšené poptávky po mase, změny způsobu chovu a vymizením tradičního kočovného pastevectví. Důsledkem je pak nárůst půdní eroze, změna a destrukce původních rostlinných společenstev i úbytek populací endemických druhů živočichů. Snížení počtu koz na ostrově i změna způsobu jejich chovu jsou nutnými kroky zdejší ochrany přírody., This article presents information about the alien mammal species of Socotra Island and their impact on local ecosystems. The most important problem is overgrazing by livestock. It is a result of rising numbers of domestic animals, mainly goat populations, as a consequence of higher demand for meat, change of breeding style and the disappearance of traditional nomadic pasturage. This situation leads to increasing soil erosion, change and destruction of native plant populations and decreasing endemic animal species populations., and Josef Suchomel.