Gender Equality and Family/Work Balance in Australia Foreign Studies A 19 May 2015 1
Gender INEQUALITY and Family/Work Balance in Australia Foreign Studies A 19 May 2015 2
Today s Lecture 1. Issues with women s employment 2. Major causes of these problems 3. Consequences 4. Solutions Some of the data is a little old, but it is the most recent data available. While there may be slight changes in the individual data, it is safe to say that there are no changes to the overall trends. 3
Men s and Women s Employment 4
1 From: Trends in Women s Employment, Australian Social Trends, 2006, ABS 5
From: Trends in Women s Employment, Australian Social Trends, 2006, ABS 6
Sex Discrimination Act 1984: Prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, marital or relationship status, actual or potential pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, intersex status or breastfeeding From: Trends in Women s Employment, Australian Social Trends, 2006, ABS 7
Women s Employment It looks like the situation is improving but is it really? 8
Women s Employment Part 1: Employment & Age Part 2: Type of Employment 9
How is Women s Employment Changing? Part 1: Employment & Age 10
2 From: Trends in Women s Employment, Australian Social Trends, 2006, ABS 11
3 From: Fifty Years of Labour Force: Now and Then, Year Book Australia, 2012, ABS 12
4 From: Fifty Years of Labour Force: Now and Then, Year Book Australia, 2012, ABS 13
14 5
How is Women s Employment Changing? Part 1: Employment & Age 15
How is Women s Employment Changing? The number of women who work is increasing, but some women still stop working during the peak child-raising i i years. 16
How is Women s Employment Changing? The number of women who work is increasing, but some women still stop working during the peak child-raising years. WHY?? 17
Women and unpaid work 18
6 From: Trends in Household Work, Australian Social Trends, March 2009, ABS 19
From: Trends in Household Work, Australian Social Trends, March 2009, ABS 20
How is Women s Employment Changing? Part 2: Type of Employment 21
7 From: Trends in Women s Employment, Australian Social Trends, 2006, ABS 22
From: Trends in Women s Employment, Australian Social Trends, 2006, ABS 23
Men & Women in Part-time Work 8 From: Fifty Years of Labour Force: Now and Then, Year Book Australia, 2012, ABS 24
9 From: Gender Indicators, Australia, January 2013 Economic Security Employment Conditions, ABS. 25
How is Women s Employment Changing? Part 2: Type of Employment 26
How is Women s Employment Changing? The number of women who work is increasing, but it is concentrated in part-time work. 27
How is Women s Employment Changing? The number of women who work is increasing, but it is concentrated in part-time work. WHY?? 28
Women and part-time time work 29
10 People who are unemployed or who are working part-time who WANT to work more but CAN T at the moment: Reasons From: Barriers and incentives to labour force participation, July 10 to June 11, ABS 30
11 From: Gender Indicators, Australia, January 2013 Work and Family Balance Caring for Children, ABS. 31
Women and part-time time work: Many women (are forced to) choose part-time ti work in order to balance child-raising and work. 32
Women s care-giving duties can contribute to their underemployment and the UNDERUTLIZATION of women in the labor force. 33
12 From: Gender Indicators, Australia, January 2013 Economic Security Underutilised Labour, ABS. 34
Today s Lecture 1. Current situation of women s employment Improvements have been made, but there are still problems 2. Major causes of these problems 3. Consequences of these problems 4. Solutions 35
Today s Lecture 1. Current situation of women s employment Improvements have been made, but there are still problems 2. Major causes of these problems 3. Consequences of these problems 4. Solutions What are some other underlying reasons for women s employment situation? 36
Today s Lecture 1. Current situation of women s employment Improvements have been made, but there are still problems 2. Major causes of these problems 3. Consequences of these problems 4. Solutions DISCRIMINATION 37
Nearly 50% of mothers report experiencing discrimination in the workplace From: National Review on Discrimination Related to Pregnancy, Parental Leave and Return to Work 2014, Australian Human Rights Commission 38
Some women quit or change their jobs as a result of discrimination From: National Review on Discrimination Related to Pregnancy, Parental Leave and Return to Work 2014, Australian Human Rights Commission 39
Today s Lecture 1. Current situation of women s employment Improvements have been made, but there are still problems 2. Major causes of these problems 3. Consequences of these problems 4. Solutions 40
Today s Lecture 1. Current situation of women s employment Improvements have been made, but there are still problems 2. Major causes of these problems 3. Consequences of these problems 4. Solutions LACK OF CULTURE SUPPORT FROM COMPANIES/ GOVERNMENT 41
Today s Lecture 1. Current situation of women s employment Improvements have been made, but there are still problems 2. Major causes of these problems 3. Consequences of these problems 4. Solutions 42
Women s Incomes & Financial i Independence d 43
13 From: Gender Indicators, Australia, February 2015 Economic Security Earnings, Income and Economic Situation, ABS. From: Education differences between men and women, Australian Social Trends, September 2012, ABS. 44
14 From: Income Distribution: Women s Incomes, Australian Social Trends, 2001, ABS 45
Today s Lecture 1. Current situation Improvements have been made, but there are still problems 2. Major causes of these problems 3. Consequences of these problems 4. Solutions 46
Solutions 47
Solutions Flexible working conditions Changes in corporate culture Affordable child care Public-funded Paid Parental Leave System i.e. provided by the government to all eligible citizens 48
Parental Leave The old system (Until 2011) Unpaid parental leave Limited to certain types of workers 49
Parental Leave The old system (Until 2011) Unpaid parental leave Limited to certain types of workers Of course, some employers provide their own paid parental leave systems especially big companies and government departments 50
Paid Parental Leave The new system (From January 1, 2011) 18 weeks leave Paid at the federal minimum wage ($622.20/week) 20/ Publically funded (i.e. paid for by the government) Applicable for full-time, part-time, casual and seasonal workers, people who are selfemployed, and people who work in a family business Income must be $150,000 or less Need to meet the work test PLUS 2 weeks paid leave for fathers and partners 51
Publically-funded Paid Parental Leave But the current government wants to change this system and restrict it to only workers whose employers don t provide paid parental leave 52
Australia s Current Paid Parental Leave System Pros and Cons? 53
Today s Lecture 1. Current situation of women s employment Improvements have been made, but there are still problems 2. Major causes of these problems 3. Consequences of these problems 4. Solutions 54
Today s Lecture: Gender Equality and Family/Work Balance in Australia Improvements have been made regarding gender equality in Australia, in particular regarding employment. BUT the burden of unpaid work and child care still primarily falls on women. Because of the difficulty of balancing full- time work and childcare, many women stop working or work part-time while raising i their children. 55
Today s Lecture: Gender Equality and Family/Work Balance in Australia This affects women s financial independence, and position in society. Paid parental leave is one important strategy for helping women stay in fulltime employment BUT without greater changes in society and workplace culture, this problem will be very difficult to solve. 56
Selected References 1. Gender Indicators, Australia (Feb 2015, Jan 2013), 4125.0, ABS 2. Pregnancy and Work Transition, Australian Social Trends, Nov 2013, 4102.0 ABS 3. Education differences between men and women, Australian Social Trends, Sept 2012, 4102.0 ABS 4. National review on discrimination related to pregnancy, parental leave and return to work: 2014, Australian Human Rights Commission, 2014. 5. Fifty years of labour force: Now and then, Year Book Australia, 2012, 1301.0, ABS 6. Women in leadership, Australian Social Trends, Dec 2012, 4102.0, ABS 7. 2010 Gender Equality Blueprint, Australian Human Rights Commission, June 2010. 8. Barriers and incentives to labour force participation, July 2010 to June 2011, 6239.0, ABS. 9. Gender pay gap statistics, February 2012, Australian Government EOWA http://www.eowa.gov.au/information_centres/resource_centre/statistics/gender_pay_gap_fact_sh eet_feb2012_pdf.pdf 10. Time spent on unpaid household work, Australian Social Trends 2001, 4102.0, ABS. 11. Women s incomes, Australian Social Trends 2001, 4102.0, 0 ABS. 12. Family Functioning: Balancing family and work, Australian Social Trends 2003, 4102.0, ABS. 13. Income Distribution: Female/male earnings, Australian Social Trends 2005, 4102.0, ABS. 14. Father s Work and Family Balance, Australian Social Trends 2006, 4102.0, ABS. 15. Trends in Women s Employment, Australian Social Trends 2006, 4102.0, 0 ABS. 16. Maternity Leave Arrangements, Australian Social Trends 2007, 4102.0, ABS. 17. It s About Time: Women, Men, Work and Family: Final Paper 2007, The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC). 18. Trends in household work, Australian Social Trends 2009, 4102.0, 0 ABS 19. Barriers and Incentives to Labour Force Participation, Australia, Jul 2008 to Jun 2009, 6239.0, ABS. 20. Work and Family Balance, Australia Labour Market Statistics, Apr 2009, 6105.0, ABS 21. Work, life and family balance, Australian Social Trends 2009, 4102.0, ABS 22. Australia s s Paid Parental Leave Scheme: Supporting Working Australian Families, Australian Government, 2009, http://www.deewr.gov.au/department/publications/documents/pplbooklet.pdf 57