In The Media
New Research reveals a Covid ‘shift’ in home responsibilities for Australian families
Covid 19 has made the burden of trying to juggle work and caring commitments visible like never before – could this be the turning point for a greater appreciation of the urgent need to reset and share the caring load? Restrictions and lockdowns across the country forced many parents to step up, tending to multiple…
Read MoreTruly family-friendly workplaces are key to economic recovery
I think we can all agree that 2020 hasn’t gone to plan. So far it has been a year of disruption, uncertainty, and distress for many. It would be hard to find a single Australian who has not been affected in some way by COVID-19 on their work, family, and personal wellbeing. Unemployment is on…
Read MoreCould the concept of ‘going to work’ as we know it be changed forever?
Many firms are planning how they’re going to get staff who have been working from home, back to the office. Not all will want to return. Could the concept of ‘going to work’ as we know it be changed forever? The last two months of isolation for many workers has meant imposed working from…
Read More‘A change in attitude and a change in language’ – ABC interview on making Australia’s Paid Parental Leave scheme better
In an interview with ABC Radio’s Jonathan Gould, Emma Walsh, CEO of Parents At Work, shared her thoughts on the current Paid Parental Leave Scheme in Australia, and what government and employers can be doing better. Emma discusses the recent National Working Families Report results, which found that men are still facing barriers when it…
Read MoreMedia Release: Perinatal Depression and Anxiety in Australia taking a toll on Parents
Perinatal depression and anxiety is costing Australia $877 million annually according to a PwC analysis prepared for Gidget Foundation Australia and the Perinatal Mental Health Consortium. This is supported by the findings of the recent National Working Families survey undertaken by Parents at Work & Karitane of more than 6,000 Australian families, where 60% of…
Read MoreLiberating Men From Boardrooms to Playgrounds – Why we need an urgent rethink on parental leave in Australia
The ‘maternity leave’ debate is alive and kicking almost ten years on since the introduction of the government’s first paid parental leave scheme. But this time, it’s not about mums taking leave – it’s about dads. And rightly so. ABC journalist, presenter and author of ‘The Wife Drought’, Annabel Crabb, recently published her Quarterly Essay,…
Read MoreNew study finds little has changed for fathers working flexibly to ‘share the care’ over the last decade
It may come as no surprise to many, but recent research by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) has shown that not much changes in a dad’s employment situation even with the shift in family life when children are born – but mothers’ employment changes considerably. The AIFS have today released a media release…
Read MoreWhy we do what we do: the Parental Leave Equality campaign 2018
As we look back on this busy and jam-packed year, we’re feeling a little proud of Parents At Work. Much of our effort this year has been campaigning to get the message of #ParentalLeaveEquality out there – and we know from our work with employers that we have paved the way for introducing better…
Read MoreDads care too – recognising the rights and needs of fathers as carers
It’s 70 years today since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – it’s a day to reflect, as a global community, that we must continue to strive for the advancement of human rights for all. This year, Parents At Work has been advocating for #ParentalLeaveEquality. It’s about equally supporting both mothers and fathers to enable…
Read MoreThe bad news that motivates us even more: parental leave progress stalled
WGEA have just released their latest Gender Equality Scorecard for 2017-2018, and it’s not great news – especially for parental leave equality. As we look back on five years of equality progress in Australia, there are some wins and there are definitely some losses. “There are a few problem areas. Access to parental leave has…
Read More