Transcript Report on Strategic Advisory Group Process

Paid Employment and Caring
Responsibilities for Children and Adults
Matthew Gray
Presentation to the Work, Families and Wellbeing Forum
4 May 2006
Employment of lone and couple mothers, NSW 2000
(%)
Lone moth ers
Couple mot hers
Part-time
employed
23.7
35.5
Full-time
employed
23.8
25.2
Total
employed
47.5
60.8
Use of flexible work arrangements to provide care,
lone and couple mothers, NSW 2000 (%)
Lone moth ers
Couple mot hers
Used flexible work
arrangement
63.1
54.7
Unmet need
21.2
14.5
Types of work arrangements used to provide care,
lone and couple mothers, NSW 2000 (%)
Lone mothers
Flex-time
Rostered day off and time off in
lieu
Working from home
Informal arrangement
Shift w ork
Casual work
Part-time work
Paid leave
Unpaid leave
6
10
Couple
mothers
7
11
7
11
10
13
17
19
11
6
11
5
8
21
15
9
Reasons for unmet need lone and couple mothers, NSW
2000 (%)
Lone mothers
Applied or asked but was refused
Do not have adequate working
arrangements
Didn’t apply as thought would say no
Work commitments
Not paid for time off
Subtle or other pressure from bosses or
other workers
#
33
Couple
mothers
9
40
27
29
25
20
15
25
10
10
Job changes wanted to make but could not because of
caring responsibilities, lone and couple mothers, NSW
2000 (%)
Lone mothers
Change jobs
Apply for a promoti on
Change total number of hours worked
Change usual start and finish times
None
14.7
5.7
13.0
11.7
78.6
Couple
mothers
2.3
2.5
6.2
4.6
89.3
Negative effects of work on family life, families
with young children (%)
Extent agree with statement
Strongly
Strongly
agree
Agree
Neither
disagree Disagree
Because of my work responsibilities I have missed out on home or family activities that
I would like to have taken part in
10.6
29.1
14.5
29.7
16.2
Mothers
21.3
44.5
13.0
16.7
4.5
Fathers
Because of my work responsibilities my family time is less enjoyable and more
pressured
Mothers
Fathers
21.0
16.3
Alexander and Baxter (2005).
35.7
39.3
20.3
20.2
18.2
19.1
4.9
5.1
Positive effects of work on family life, families
with young children (%)
Extent agree with statement
Strongly
Strongly
disagree Disagree
Neither
Agree
agree
My working has a positive effect on my children
Mothers
3.0
10.4
38.9
37.0
10.7
Fathers
3.1
11.6
35.9
36.8
12.6
Working helps me to better appreciate the time that I spend with my children
Mothers
3.1
Fathers
2.2
The fact that I work makes a better parent
Mothers
7.0
Fathers
5.2
Alexander and Baxter (2005)
7.2
8.8
19.4
17.5
45.5
46.6
24.9
25.0
16.6
15.8
41.9
37.4
25.5
29.4
8.9
12.2
Working hours
Alexander and Baxter (2005)
Preferred hours
Work-to-family spillover scores by hours preferences
Mothers
Fathers
Whether would prefer
to work different
hours
Prefer fewer
Prefer same (ref)
Prefer more
Prefer fewer
Prefer same (ref)
Prefer more
Negative work-tofamily
Positive work-tofamily
3.06***
2.52
2.52
3.24***
3.57
3.66*
3.39***
2.90
3.04**
3.36***
3.61
3.63
Employment by type of caring responsibilities and
gender, NSW 2000 (%)
Total
employ ment
Part-time
Total
employ ment
Part-time
Type of caring responsibilities
Children
Children Adul ts
No caring
only
and adults
only
responsibilities
Male
88.6
84.0
68.2
77.6
5.6
7.9
55.7
7.1
Female
60.4
55.2
69.7
30.0
32.6
20.8
23.6
9.3
Use of flexible work arrangements (%), NSW 2000
Type of caring responsibilities
Children only
Children and
adults
Adul ts only
Male
29.8
59.5
39.5
Female
47.3
63.1
43.6
Unmet need, last 6-months (%), NSW 2000
Male
Female
Type of caring responsibilities
Children only
Children and
Adul ts only
adults
9.5
14.6
14.9
12.1
20.1
15.7
Job changes made in order to provide care by type of
caring responsibilities, last 6-months, NSW 2000
Male
Female
Type of caring responsibilities
Children only
Children and
Adul ts only
adults
Per cent
4.7
10.5
7.3
11.8
14.1
10.0