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“Striking the Balance – Women, Men Work & the Family.”

Discussion Paper 2005 – Submission

Rebecca Fowles



22 year old youth worker, working in youth services for 4 years. Bachelor of Social Science, completed 6 months of an honours degree. Mother of a two month old daughter and currently eight months pregnant.

1. How do the changes in arrangements for paid work in Australia affect the family responsibilities of women and men, particular groups of people or particular family types?

When looking at the issue of family responsibility we first need to think about how families and children are viewed by our society and what language are we going to adopt to discuss this. For example page three discusses “assigning responsibility” and the crux of this discussion really is, are we at a point where we need to assign responsibility when it comes to child rearing and family relations or are we going to view child-rearing as a social contribution? The language used to discuss an issue can often be as important as the issue, as it can change how things are perceived.

When examining the particular family types that are in Australia it is important to recognise the wide diversity of types and the fact that each combination comes with its own inherent “responsibilities.” One group which did seem to be missing throughout the discussion paper was young people as carers. For example young people who care for siblings or young people who care for ill parents or those family types dealing with mental health issues.

When looking at the changes to the Australian workplace I think it is also important to consider the impact of the proposed changes to workplace legislation that has suddenly hit the agenda. I will admit I have little knowledge of the issue at this stage and believe that many Australian families would be feeling rather confused and concerned about the issue due to the barrage of media the issue has received both for and against the changes.

The other recent point of contention which needs to be thought about is that of paid maternity leave. While some awards now include provision for paid maternity leave, such as the Local Government State Award it is only if the woman is to be the primary carer and no-one else is taking leave. For women who choose to breast feed taking leave after having a baby is really her only option, thus the stipulation that only the primary carer can have leave limits the option of the family unit. Why can’t both parents enjoy the first few weeks of crucial bonding time with their new infant? And why should there be a financial penalty? Of course paid maternity leave would ideally be a practice which is adopted across the board and an option offered to all new parents but this will remain a point of contention whilst it is determined who should foot the bill for this. Of course as always it comes back to how are we as a society going to view child rearing, is it a personal lifestyle choice or is it a social contribution?

When considering changes to the workplace and how Australian families are affected and adopting to changes it was interesting to note on page 16 that only 1.9% of families had both parents employed part-time when in many cases it seems this would be one of the logical choices to balance family responsibility and work commitments. I think further investigation needs to be conducted into family situations to ascertain if employment status is by choice or necessity.

Some of the analysis in the opening chapters also seems to skip the volunteer work of women that incorporates activities such as in school canteens, with sporting organisations, community groups, play groups etc. It is these volunteer roles which are often hard to categorise as they are often additional tasks associated with child rearing but are also a valuable contribution to the community. They are also time consuming and for many women an onerous task that they take on knowing if they do not fulfil the role then their children may lose out ie many sporting organisations would have to fold without the contributions of volunteers and thus children would no longer have that opportunity.

Another source of time that can be over looked is the “hidden hours” when discussing over time & long hours of paid employment (pg 21). For example when discussing the long hours that many employees now undertake there also needs to be consideration of the fact that while a workers pay sheet may say they worked a 40 hour week there are often many hidden hours. Many workers often take work home with them, are in the office early or leave late and are unable to record this on their pay sheet. It also does not take into account that many workers can not go home and simply “switch off” but still have their mind on work matters and are “distracted at the dinner table.”

When discussing changes to the workplace and its affects, discussion of work intensification should also include discussion of more outcome driven workplaces and the effects of constant evaluation and monitoring on staff.

It is easy to argue that one of the major changes to the Australian workplace that has had the most dramatic affects on Australian families is the casualisation of the workplace. Casual work can have a multitude of effects on families. While in many cases it can have many positive effects for families and allows women and men to both balance work and family it can have numerous negative effects such as:

  • It can often be hard to plan family life around casual work.
  • Being on-call or expected to come into work at short notice can be extremely problematic for many families especially in regards to arranging suitable child-care
  • It makes it extremely difficult for families to take regular holidays together as parents do not have the luxury of paid annual leave
  • Lack of weekly income security can be financially problematic for many families and forces many families to live from one pay check to the next
  • Lack of job security
  • Many casual positions involve weekend and night work which can have positive and negative effects but can lead to unsettled family routines, partners having limited time to spend together, not being able to attend important social functions/gathering/events as they are usually held on weekends. Many people would argue that Saturday/Sunday is no longer the standard weekend as such a large proportion of the country is working on these days.

2. Do women and men need different workplace arrangements to assist them to balance their paid work and family obligations?

In a perfect world it should simply be no. Men and women can both be parents so thus should have the same opportunities to be able to healthily and effectively balance paid work and family life but unfortunately there are external barriers which prevents this simplicity.

For example social views. “HREOC agrees there is a need to enable men, as well as women to take time out from employment without career penalty” (pg 2) While I personally may agree with this statement, is this the view held by other staff and management? It comes back to how do we as a society view child rearing; as a personal choice or a social contribution? As long as child-rearing is viewed as a personal choice, which it is to a large percentage of the population then different arrangements do need to be in place. The effects of such social views can include men may not be able to take time out, while there may be measures in place for a man to take the leave he may not be able to take it, as the other staff at his workplace begrudge him doing so and this will make for an uncomfortable work environment, so he chooses not to.

The other side of the coin is the fact that there are women who do not want to take copious amounts of leave when they have their children. For example a woman who is eligible for nine weeks paid maternity leave may not want that long as her partner is the primary carer and she wants to return to work. In many situations there is a stigma attached to women who do not want to take a long leave period and also those women who want to work right through their pregnancy. Many people in society still view pregnancy as an illness or a disability and those pregnant women who wish to continue on with normal activities are accused of being irresponsible or jeopardising their babies health when they are doing no such thing. I know as I am speaking from experience.

This social view that women should be the one’s to take on the caring nurturing role remains a powerful stereotype that can have been pervasive effects for women. When examining sole parents there is also a need to consider this social influence. The statistic that 83.3% of sole parent families are headed by women (pg17) is the perfect example. Society finds it unacceptable for women to leave their children and for the father to be the sole carer. I would argue that of the 16.7% of male headed single parent families the majority are because the mother is deceased, has an addiction, mental illness, disability or other health issue and only a minute amount are because the woman has actively chosen this arrangement. While this is obviously a huge generalisation it is an issue which I think further research needs to be conducted into so that we can understand the effects of work, social attitudes etc on women being able to actively choose alternative options. I personally believe that for many women upon a relationship breakdown they simply do not feel in the position to say, “I think you should be the sole carer, I would like to go and continue my career.”

When examining the needs of different family types it is also important to consider the fact that for many sole parents there is a lack of support networks and a lack of support networks limits your options when it comes to workplace participation as you simply can not be at work and care for your child simultaneously. This then highlights the issue of the crucial need for affordable child care.

The key element of family friendly workplace provisions really is “CHOICE” and this needs to be the same for men and women no matter what their family type is.

Of course when it does come down to men and women and are different arrangements necessary as outlined above ideally the answer is no but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what feminism tells us because no matter how Daddy feels about it he never will be able to breast feed.

3. Would equality between men and women require a more equal sharing of paid work?

This is really the question of the chicken or the egg. If women and men shared paid work equally would society view women’s nurturing role differently or is it that unpaid work needs to be shared equally so that women can participate more equally in the workplace. Which one is it the chicken or the egg? What should we change first?

Really it’s not simply a matter of sharing but of removing the social and cultural barriers that prevent a greater equality both in the public and private sphere. The best way to explain that is to consider the fact that – “how come if the house is a mess it’s the female half of the partnership that is judged?”

If “relative to comparable countries Australian women have a low level of workplace involvement” then we should be investigating this to find out what is different, what alternative models are there and what structures are working elsewhere for women.

5. Does the imbalance in sharing of paid and unpaid work by men and women affect children, and if so how?

It all comes down to the role modelling of sex-role stereotypes and creating a cycle which perpetuates gender stereotypes. An imbalance between men and women is evident to children.

So much emphasis is put on the fact that children benefit from the care of both parents of course they will be affected by parents with an imbalance. It can also lead to poor parenting practices such as what is sometimes referred to as the “Good Cop/Bad Cop” Parenting style and can have serious effects on the mental health of both parents.

6. Does the amount of unpaid work done by women affect their capacity to participate in paid work, and if so how?

The responsibilities of women in regards to unpaid work can severely limit their capacity to participate in paid work as you can only do so much. This is also true for men with unpaid work responsibilities.

For women the amount of unpaid work done has been explored and documented quite thoroughly especially through analysis and discussion of the “second shift.” There still remains a social pressure and expectation that women will take on the unpaid “nurturing” tasks in the private spheres. This leads women to have to choose between working the “second shift” or sacrificing paid work. This is a task that is also being placed upon women for longer periods of time as children are now staying in the family home for increasing periods due to such social changes; such as increasing tertiary education participation and changes to financial supports for young people. Having children staying in the family home, now often way into their twenties places additional strain on family units and women in particular in a variety of ways including financial strains but also additional unpaid work for women eg being relied on for chauffeuring duties.

The other side of the coin is that for many women, who are fortunate enough to work in “family-friendly” environments as I do, they may feel uncomfortable in taking “advantage” as they don’t want special consideration but will often sacrifice their own work as it is the only way the family can function. Where does the uncomfortable feeling come from? In workplaces where there are only a select few employees that are parents it can be uncomfortable to take use of family-friendly provisions. This all links back to the fact that parenting is not always recognised as a social contribution but is seen as a personal choice.

7. Would equality between men and women require a more equal sharing of unpaid work?

In a perfect world everything would be split down the middle but unfortunately we can’t work things out like that. It’s more about each family being able to find their own balance without any barriers, pressures or expectations. An environment which encourages equality in all shapes and forms.

To achieve equality we first need to as a society move away from stereotypes and assumptions. For example on pg 25 caring is referred to as “an enjoyable activity.” As a society we need to be careful about such assumptions especially about women and caring as each woman feels differently about her role as a mother. Though I think with the emerging theme of the “Desperate Housewife” in popular culture women are finally being given permission by society to say, “Hey this isn’t always the most rewarding fun thing to do ok.”

What these sorts of issues highlight is that it is crucial to recognise the importance of leisure time for all CARERS. That as adult human beings, no matter if our commitments and responsibilities are paid, unpaid or a combination of both, for our own personal well being we do need personal leisure time.

The big question when looking at men doing more unpaid work is – is society ready for fathers with young children? Coming from a partnership where the father is the primary care giver I don’t think society is. For example while some places do have parent rooms, fathers are not very often catered for. What will my partner do once our daughter is a little bit older, say five years old, needs to go to the toilet and there is no parent room? Does he:

  • Take her into the men’s toilet himself. I’m sure all the men standing at the urinals will find it most amusing;
  • Escort her into the female toilet where I’m sure he will receive at least one concerned look or perhaps even be accosted about who he is and what his intentions are; or
  • Allow our 5 year old daughter to go into a public toilet by herself and cross his fingers that she comes back out in a couple of minutes and nothing untoward has occurred.

It may seem trivial but it is a very real situation and is just one example of how society is not ready for men to take on this role.

12. What effects, if any, do external factors such as partner and community attitudes , social policy or workplace relations have in shaping men’s and women’s decisions about paid work and family arrangements?

  • They place the pressure of conformity on to many people and often provide men and women with lose/lose choices, as long as barriers remain in place, especially societal attitudes many women and men lead lives where they must sacrifice either paid work or family. For example many men will feel pressure to conform to the breadwinner stereotype. For many men this is not just from attitudes but also a financial necessity. If a woman faces barriers to employment because of child rearing then he must support the family unit. But of course conforming to the breadwinner stereotypes means men must miss-out on child-rearing.
  • I think the pressures of societal attitudes are even greater for women as they do not only have to conform to traditional expectations of the “Good mother role” but also as a young woman I expect to have it all and that is the generation I have grown up in. We expect to pick & choose when we procreate while at the same time still participate in what ever tertiary education we choose, whilst travelling, being an active community participant and having the perfect carer.
  • To eliminate external factors we do need to recognise, not just pay lip service to the fact that there is no one solution or one family model.
  • When discussing external factors that effect men’s and women’s decisions about paid work and family arrangements I think consideration also needs to be paid to the fact that these external factors also effect our choices about tertiary education. Tertiary education is another institution which needs to be more responsive to family needs as well.
  • Pg 58 highlights that many families are struggling to meet child care needs. Child care is a catch 22 situation for many parents. Child care is often necessary so parents can work, child care becomes expensive so parents need to work more and the cycle continues until the parent can no longer participate in the workplace. If we as a society looked at child rearing as a social contribution rather then a choice then the Government would take more responsibility for the provision of child care and you would see child care in more salary packages.
  • There is definitely a social expectation that on the dissolution of a relationship that the woman will be the primary carer of any children. Women are often not able to make the choice to forgo this role in order to advance their career.
  • (Pg 66) The key point when looking at external factors is that we THEORETICALLY have an array of choices but there are still barriers which prevent us from accessing this “array” of choices.

13. What are the relationship, health and other effects of paid work and family conflicts on Australian parents and carers? Do the effects differ for men and women and particular groups of people, particular family types or different types of carers?

Health:

  • The fact is men and women generally will accept gendered work and family roles by default. When we choose not to accept these roles we are deciding to fight against the norm and will often put our own health in danger. For example when I am pregnant I will push myself as I do not want any special treatment. I believe this is a response to feeling a pressure to prove myself. Sometimes you do not want to be seen as a pregnant woman or a mother but to assert yourself as a competent and effective worker.
  • It is important to recognise the effect that leisure time poverty can have on parents and carers. Many women will attest to the fact that once you give birth your time ceases to be your own. In the interest of personal development, mental health and reducing stress I believe it is essential that all parents and carers are given an opportunity to recognise their own personal need for leisure time.
  • When you look at society from a generalist standpoint it can easily be argued that when looking at the effects of paid work and family conflicts on one’s health that mental health is indeed a big issue. I would imagine that people who work in the area of mental health would be citing depression and stress as key health issues when it comes to paid work & family conflicts.
  • When discussing health effects of paid work and family conflicts and the differences for men and women I believe that many women will cite that they “do not have time to get sick.”
  • Pg 59 briefly discusses the fact that of carers of people with a disability 17% frequently felt angry or resentful because of their caring role. This obviously will have detrimental effects on their health and well being. To counteract this there is a need to recognise the fact that carers would be saner and healthier if society allowed carers a space to vent. Carers of people with a disability are an unrecognised group serving our community and in many ways our society can not function without them. Unfortunately caring can be an unrewarding, self-sacrificing, mentally challenging and draining role to take on. It is important for society to recognise this valuable contribution and also for there to be a place in society where carers can voice their frustrations so that any anger and resentment is not simply internalised.

Relationship:

  • Due to work commitments many families will have parents who “tag team.” The effect on relationships is that many partners barely see each other and even share different sleeping patterns. As society moves away from the standard 9am-5pm working day we are all learning that your hours of work very much dictates when you can sleep, socialise etc etc. With this change to the workplace, many families are finding that to balance work and family commitments parents are sharing caring responsibilities with one parent working through the day and the other parent working through the night. Pg 64 discusses that research indicates intimacy is a key factor to marriage longevity, considering this in conjunction with the above point it has to be said that a couple can not be intimate when they see each other for 15 minutes a day as they hand over the children like a baton in a relay. Perhaps it even needs to be said that this is influencing the birth rate. Work patterns are affecting relationships on a multitude of levels including the intimacy of the relationship.

14. What are the effects on children where the parents have difficulty in balancing paid work with family responsibilities?

Long term effects on children when it comes to families balancing work and family life are probably only just starting to emerge. I think it wasn’t until late 80s early 90s when the concept of the “latch key kid” first emerged. Things that need to be considered are those such as pg 54’s discussion of fathers who do want to be more involved but face barriers to being involved. I would suggest that there are many men who would like to be involved in children’s activities such as attending school swimming carnivals, presentations and parent teachers interviews but find that their workplace is not receptive to them taking time-out of work to attend such functions.

In many cases it is not only about things that parents miss-out on due to work commitments but also what is going on when parents are at home. I know that as a parent balancing work and family commitments I will often find myself multitasking and incorporating my two year old in to housework activities.

15. Are children affected differently by mothers and fathers paid work and family conflicts?

Primarily every child is different and there are myriad of generalisations that you could make about children and the absence of either the mother or father from the home due to work commitments. As a parent who works and is not the primary carer I understand the importance of quality time with my child and I am also grateful to the extensive support network that my nuclear family is surrounded by. I would argue that it can be very positive for children to grow up and have an opportunity to bond tightly with carers that are not primarily their mother. Not only for children to have strong connections with their father but also with their grandparents or other members of the extended family. Historically childcare was done by a network of people within your kinship ties and it is only in recent times that the nuclear family has emerged as the “norm.”

The other side I see is in a professional context and that is as a youth worker rather then as a parent. That other side is young people who are disconnected from their parents/family unit or resent their parents work commitments and are thus more likely to be involved in risk taking behaviour.

16. Do women’s and men’s paid and unpaid work obligations affect their economic outcomes, health, relationships and life chance? Do men and women or particular groups of people experience any such effects differently?

Economic outcomes:

  • Generally women’s economic outcomes are more likely to suffer then men’s due to their unpaid work obligations. The fact is that the average female wage is still severely disproportionate to the average male wage.
  • Women are more likely to be worse off then their male counterparts at retirement time due to time taken from the workplace due to their unpaid commitments.
  • Many women would also still have limited financial independence if they were a member of a family centered on the male bread-winner stereotype.

Health:

  • Male or female, anybody’s health can suffer from the demands of work and family commitments. It appears that women are more likely to suffer stress and depression but I believe that’s because women are more likely to seek professional/medical assistance where as men are more likely to hide the fact that they are having problems.

19. Are fertility rates sensitive to social and economic conditions and if so, what specific conditions and how sensitive are they to changed conditions?

Yes, fertility rates are extremely sensitive to social and economic conditions. Consider:

    • Feminism taught women that it was ok not to have babies. So women stopped having 7 babies each and relying on the rhythm method. They took control of their bodies (to some degree) and said “Ok we’ll reproduce but it’s on our terms.” This social movement had the effect of declining the birth rate and now the majority of women bear children once they are over 25.
    • Fertility rates can also increase with social and economic change such as the baby boom we encountered due to the war.
    • The “norm” has moved away from women bearing children as soon as they leave school to the norm now being for women to bear children in their mid to late twenties. Women are choosing to attend tertiary education and establish careers first before they procreate. This has not only changed fertility rates but changed the age of parents and created a social phenomenon where what was once considered the norm, eg having a baby when you were 16 and it was 1940, is in 2005 frowned upon.

20. Is unpaid caring work important for developing social cohesion and social capital? If so how?

In its simplest form, our social structure would collapse without unpaid carers as the home is the primary site for development and early knowledge acquisition. One must recognise that child rearing is an investment in the future and that to insure sustainable social cohesion and social capital we must then recognise the importance of raising the future generation. Having a baby is not just about one person making a life style choice, it is about a family unit contributing to society’s future by shaping their child into a productive, contributing member of our society’s future.

21. What effect would the balance between paid work and family responsibilities for Australia’s workers have on Australia’s productivity and international competitiveness?

  • Workers are naturally more productive when they are happy
  • Lower unemployment rate. This would occur as more people would be able to enter the workforce if they were able to balance paid work commitments with their family responsibilities.
  • There would be more volunteerism in the community because people would have more scope to do it is they could balance their paid work.
  • It would improve the outcomes for children and young people and thus would make for a future generation who are able to be active contributors to their community.
  • The divorce rate would lower as relationships would suffer less from the negative effects of partners struggling to balance paid work and family responsibilities.
  • The economy would benefit by saving on resources spent on community services and welfare services.
  • It would lessen the dependents placed on the health care system from people suffering health problems due to the effects of struggling to balance paid work and family responsibilities.
  • Increase the birth rate which would contribute to the economy as it would provide the economy with more workers. This is essential when considering Australia’s ageing population.

23. Can anti-discrimination systems assist men and women better balance their paid work family responsibilities?

For anti-discrimination systems to work there is a need to firstly change social values so that everyone feels that anti-discrimination systems are accessible. For example many men may not feel that anti-discrimination systems are accessible to them & many women may choose not to use anti-discrimination systems as they feel the need to “get on in a man’s world.”

The other side of anti-discrimination systems is for those who do not have children may feel it is unfair that those who do have children are offered special provisions.

24. Why do men with family responsibilities not make use of the family responsibilities provisions of the Sex Discrimination Act?

The primary reason why men do not make use of these provisions is they do not know about these provisions. There is a definite need for an education campaign about these provisions which targets both men and women. This campaign needs to be conducted in a manner which is accessible to all men and women.

Onus also needs to be placed on employers to educate their staff and ensure that their staff are aware of what they are entitled too. Thus employers also need to be effectively educated in their legal responsibilities and the rights of their employees.

For men that are aware of their entitlements and the provisions in the Act it is still highly likely that due to traditional stereotypes they will feel too uncomfortable or embarrassed to make use of them.

25. Should the Sex Discrimination Act be amended to give greater assistance to men & women to address any workplace disadvantage they may face on the basis of their family responsibilities. If so what particular amendments are necessary. Why or why not?

They key point is that legislation needs to keep up to date with social changes. Pg 83 highlights that the legislation doesn’t currently do this as the definition of de facto spouse excludes same sex partner. The pivotal question though when it comes to workplace changes, is who foots the bill to support the necessary practical changes in the workplace – individuals, business or Government?

26. Can an individual complaints mechanism adequately deal with discrimination on the basis of family responsibilities? If not what other changes may be necessary?

I agree with the point raised on page 87 that reshaping social institutions is more likely to have a social impact then individual complaints mechanisms. Individual complaints mechanisms, if administered effectively can improve situations for individuals and organisations and will eventually (possibly) have wider social impacts but realistically the most effective changes for men and women will come from reshaping social institutions.

27. Are amendments to the workplace relations system needed to give greater assistance to men & women to address any workplace disadvantage they may face on the basis of their family responsibilities? If so, what particular amendments are necessary? If not, why not?

The proposed changes to workplace legislation (as discussed pg 93) seem to have many negative implications for families, with most of the proposed changes causing difficulties for the majority of family circumstances. Legislation needs to balance the needs of the individual with the collective good. Workplace legislation needs to support parents as it does serve the long term “collective good.” In the simplest form “The market” needs people to reproduce to supply the economy with more workers. The declining birth rate and ageing population should thus be enough motivation for business and government to realise the need for family friendly workplaces for the long term benefits.

28. Do men make adequate use of the workplace relations system to assist them to balance their paid work with their family responsibilities?

I would suggest probably not due to:

  • Workplace cultures which do not support the notion and thus make it difficult for men to make use of the system.
  • Traditional assumptions about the roles of men & women which may affect their decisions.
  • Lack of knowledge about what provisions are available to them.

29. Do informal workplace policies work well to assist employees to balance their paid work & family responsibilities? Do they assist some employees more then others and if so is this appropriate?

One could argue that those without family responsibilities suffer, that the childless are disadvantaged if not given flexibility in their hours etc. Again this comes down to how one/society is going to view child rearing, is it an individual choice or a social contribution.

The most important factor when looking at workplace policies and legislation is the workplace culture. There can be all the necessary legislative measures in place and work place policies but if the workplace culture is unsupportive of the measures then employees will not feel comfortable to assert their rights and make use of the provisions.

30. Have EEO policies & business case arguments produced a greater acceptance of the need for workplaces to be family friendly?

While most people who have been to a job interview in the last couple of years will attest to the fact that most job interviews now include the standard EEO question one must ask has EEO legislation changed workplace culture or has it simply led to EEO tokenism?

31. How can Australian workplaces be made more family friendly?

  • Workplaces need to be flexible, responsive and recognise diversity
  • Inclusion of child care and leave entitlements should be included in workplace agreements/award wages
  • Paid maternity leave is ideal but again the billion dollar question is – who foots the bill?
  • Flexible hours
  • Changes in workplace culture
  • Government needs to ensure that families do not live below the poverty line. The emergence of the “working poor” highlights this.

32. Is federal Government assistance to families appropriately directed?

Key point – assistance is imperative. As discussed on page 101 it has the ability to increase workforce participation, the ageing population, declining fertility rates and addressing skills shortages.

When assessing is assistance appropriately directed the pivotal point that needs to be considered is; is assistance ensuring that no family is living below the poverty line? Improving assistance for families ensures better outcomes for families, especially children and young people. (Of course when discussing the poverty line it is also pivotal that the poverty line is an accurate tool).

33. Does the cumulative effect of this Government assistance facilitate choice for women and assist them to balance paid work and family roles. If not, how could this be achieved?

  • FTB creates more problems for families with the fact that it is based on an estimate and it is extremely easy to accumulate a debt by accident. Surely there must be a better way?
  • FAO & Centrelink are difficult places to navigate at the best of times especially for those with limited education.
  • Some payments are also viewed negatively by society. For example while the maternity payment is extremely important in assisting women, many members frown on this initiative as they believe it encourages young women to have children and take on their own financial responsibilities. Other ways of administering the payment should be investigated. Assisting families on the arrival of a new baby is essential but perhaps other ways of administering the payment could be effective eg not as a lump sum, vouchers, credit (ie on electricity, rates). The maternity payment should also be given during the third trimester as this is when most expenses are incurred preparing for the birth.

34. What effects do Government policies have on decisions made by individuals & families about paid & unpaid work arrangements? Are these effects appropriate?

Some government policies seem to be done with the “best of intentions” but have other implications for families (especially women). For example recent discussions of increasing unpaid maternity leave to two years and the option for women to return to work as part-time up until their child is school aged. While this would be done with the best of intentions I think it will make things harder for women. No matter what Sex Discrimination legislation is in place when a woman of child bearing age applies for a job the employer will not see her as a genuine applicant but as a problem they will have to deal with when she decides to procreate, have two years off and then work part-time for three years.

35. What are the best ways of incorporating and supporting the value of care into Australian society?

  • Reach the general public through popular culture and the media to encourage a culture shift that recognises raising children as a contribution to society.
  • Education/awareness campaign focusing on how a carer saves tax payers.
  • Valuing the role of carers – they should not be living on the poverty line.
  • Need to recognise that paid and unpaid work commitment limit people’s ability to be active participants in community decision making, political activity, agents of change etc. Page 112 discusses how commitments diminish our ability to connect/engage in community activities but it also limits our ability to:
    • Attend community forums (eg a community health forum held recently that I could not attend as it was held through the day & I didn’t think that I could ask for the day off to attend a community forum)
    • Contributing to this discussion paper. Between working & raising children, contributing to things such as this which I think is extremely important can also be time consuming so you find yourself doing it at night when you probably should be in bed but you can’t exactly say to your employer can I please have a day off to write my submission for a discussion paper. Time constraints from work commitments thus severely limit people’s ability to have a say on issues that affect them/ are important to them.
    • Attending protests
    • Joining community groups ie Community Drug Action Teams.

If you are already over committed at work and home, how can you be a politically active agent of social change? I personally feel it’s important to contribute and be involved in such things but since there is no give in work commitments you have to decide to sacrifice family commitments or simply to not participate.

37. What are the best ways of engaging men in the work of caring & other unpaid work?

Page 120 discusses the need to “present these tasks as positive activities as opposed to a low status burden.” It’s ironic that this is even suggested and it really is offensive to women. What it is basically saying is that if men do it, well it wont be low status any more. I think that this idea reinforces stereotypes.

I think that the real key point (pg 120) is for young boys to be encouraged to do housework to equip them for the future.

38. How important are workplace cultures, as opposed to workplace structures, as a deterrent to men’s more active engagement with their family responsibilities and more equitable sharing between men and women of unpaid work in the home?

Pivotal.

39. How can workplace cultures be encouraged to change to promote a better balance between paid work & family responsibilities?

  • Educating owners/managers
  • Compulsory to have copies of posters outlining legislation in every workplace.
  • Government incentives for employers who adopt family friendly practices.

42. What do you think should be the key goals of paid and unpaid work arrangements in Australia?

  • Embrace all family types
  • Provide individuals and families with REAL choices
  • Recognise that raising children is contributing to society
  • Improving outcomes for children and young people
  • No family should live below the poverty line
  • Improved health & relationship outcomes for couples due to better work/family balance
  • Each member of society should be able to participate in work, family and community life.

43. What do you think should be the role for each of Government, employers and families in promoting appropriate divisions of paid & unpaid work by Australian families?

Government

  • Appropriate legislation to protect workers from unfair discrimination
  • To ensure appropriate support so families are not forced to live in poverty
  • Encourage a society that recognises the value of caring, child raising & volunteerism.

Employers

  • Ensure a workplace culture that is supportive of workers with family commitments. This needs to be equal for both men and women.

Families

  • Individuals need to take responsibility in their relationship to ensure an effective and equitable balance of unpaid work. Each family arrangement will of course be different.
  • Parents need to take responsibility for raising children to meet their full potential by providing a healthy, loving, nurturing environment.