Many people are feeling work is taking over their lives. There is enormous pressure on families and many people feel they have no control. We need to give parents more choice and recognise they want a better balance between their commitments as parents, family members and employees.

Governments should play a bigger role in supporting families to find a better balance between maintaining living standards and careers, and care for children and family members.

Effective policies should integrate workplace, family, population and labour market policies.

Workplace changes should be flexible, respect the choices families make and recognise that labour market participation by parents varies depending on family composition and the age of children.

This requires an integrated policy response that provides the right type of support for parents and families throughout the different phases of their family and working lives including - pregnancy and birth, infancy and young children, the transition back to work and managing work and family.

Modern policies that support families make the choices that are right for them should address issues in a number of key areas including:

• maternity leave
• parental leave and part time work
• family friendly workplaces
• childcare

Facts

• Australia and the US stand alone amongst industrialised nations in failing to provide paid maternity leave.

• Two thirds of OECD nations provide more than 52 weeks unpaid maternity/parental leave and one third provide more than two years.

• In Australia most employees are entitled to only 52 weeks unpaid leave.

• Only 7% of current workplace agreements make provision for paid maternity leave.

• The average duration of paid maternity leave is just 7 weeks.

• 46% of women aged 15 to 44 have dependant children – and 61% of these women are in the workforce.

• Labour force participation amongst women with children aged 0–4 is 49%.

• Australian families are more likely to prefer a parent to care for young babies than their counterparts in Europe and America.

• Around half of all mothers have not returned to work by the time their baby is 18 months. Those that have returned to work overwhelmingly work part time.

• Female earnings make up 40% of income for families without dependants and 30% of income for families with dependants.

• Most mothers return to work before their child is four, and female labour market participation continues to rise with the age of the child.

• A 2001 OECD survey of mothers’ labour market participation in 20 countries saw Australia register the lowest employment rates of mothers with children under six, and the lowest rates of employment of sole parents. Australia ranked 15^th in labour force participation by mothers in couple families.

• Around three-quarters of families with dependent children are couple families, the remaining quarter lone parent families.

• Most parents work; only around one-third of dependent children in couple families and half of those in lone-parent families now have a 'stay at home’ parent.^[1]

• When the youngest child is 1-2 years, 57% of mothers are in the paid workforce. This rises to 68% when the youngest child is aged 3-4 years. About two-thirds of employed mothers whose youngest child is aged 0-4 years worked part-time in 2000.^[2]

• Australian Institute of Family Studies research suggests that relatives play a critical role in supporting families with 82% receiving help with babysitting and childcare.^[3]

• Australian evidence is that most mothers who want to return to work prefer to do so on a part time basis, at least until their children are school age.

• A National Social Science Survey found that after the right to unpaid parental leave, the right to work flexible work hours was the most highly supported work and family initiative ahead of shorter hours, paid carer’s leave and paid parental leave.

• Women are more likely than men to take carer’s leave - 50% of women take carer’s leave compared to 33% of men.

• The US Family and Medical Leave Act allows 12 weeks unpaid leave per annum to care for sick family members and for parental leave.

• In the UK there is unlimited short term emergency leave for dependant care, plus 13 weeks parental leave, which can be taken in blocks of up to four weeks per year, available until a child’s fifth birthday. Low paid workers may be eligible for family assistance whilst on unpaid leave.

• The UK will introduce two weeks paid paternity leave from April 2003.

Policy Responses

Maternity Leave - the ACTU supports a nationally legislated paid maternity leave scheme

Parental Leave and Part-time Work- minimum parental leave entitlements should be updated to recognise the choices that families make by extending unpaid leave beyond the current 12 month minimum

Family Friendly Workplaces - we need policies and laws that actively encourage family friendly workplaces

Childcare - families need access to high quality childcare staffed by professional and properly compensated workers

^[1] John Buchanan and Louise Thornthwaite (2001) Paid Work and Parenting: charting a New Course for Australian Families

^[2] Peter McDonald (2001) Work-family policies are the right approach to the prevention of very low fertility

^[3] AIFS (1997) Australian Family Profiles