The right to request flexible working should be extended from parents to all workers, a Government minister has said in a new book.
Children's Minister Beverley Hughes said the move would help all 29 million employees balance their home and work lives better.
"Everyone has a life outside work, not just parents. We must redefine the 'ideal worker' and accept it is a fantasy to expect people to have none other than work commitments. Indeed, many people make valuable contributions to their communities in their non-work time."
Writing in a new book for the Institute for Public Policy Research, the minister said: "It is unacceptable for family-friendly employment to be an option only for those parents - often women - who downshift in pay and status.
"'Work-life balance is still unobtainable for many low-income families, where the impact of low pay, job insecurity and long or atypical working hours bite hardest."
The minister argued that the best way to help children see more of their parents was for Britain's working culture to change. Only parents of children under the age of six, or disabled children under 18, have the right to request flexible working.
The right will be extended to people with a caring responsibility from April, but Ms Hughes said everyone should be able to ask their employer if they could change their working patterns. She also argued that all jobs should be advertised as part-time, job-share or flexi-time unless there was a sound business case not to.
The minister suggested that paternity leave should be doubled to a month, while maternity and paternity pay should rise.
"Many working people say they feel time-squeezed. With more women at work, an ageing population and many people aspiring to volunteer or to further develop their skills, Government and employers need to recognise that balancing work and life is an issue that's not going away. We need a step change."
The book will be published in May, to mark the 10th anniversary of Labour's 1997 election victory.
