Work and family: the challenge for modern Australia

However, as we know, the world of work as currently constituted, was designed by and for men - men with women at home to support them. If women are to fully participate without discrimination in the workplace we need to do at least one of two things - change gender roles or change the workplace.

Our best bet may be to change the workplace - to create an environment that welcomes women as we are - including our family responsibilities. This is called substantive equality - delivering equality of outcome for women in work - delivering our right to work.

There are a number of ways. We can implement family friendly work practices; make flexible working hours the norm; make good childcare more accessible and affordable; and replace our current system of paid maternity leave - ad hoc, and at the individual employer's discretion - with a national scheme of paid maternity leave.

Flexible working hours

In its current form, part time and casual work is a double-edged sword for women. It gives women the opportunity to fit around their family responsibilities, thus remaining the preferred form of work for women with families.

However, it is difficult to find well paid part time or casual work (the bulk in hospitality and retail) and extremely difficult to find it at the professional or managerial end of the labour market. In addition, finding formal child care on a part-time or shift basis is almost impossible.

There is no systemic approach to part time work in Australia. It is offered - and at the employer's discretion. In this respect Australia is lagging behind.

From April 2003 in the UK, employers will have an explicit duty to properly consider mother's and father's requests to work part time. This measure will be introduced as part of a government commitment to increasing access to flexible working practices.

Four and a half years ago, with the Equal Opportunity Commission decision in Hickie v Hunt and Hunt it appeared that Australia was moving towards a similar legal recognition of the right to part time work. We do it through an attitudinal change towards work and family issues. Across society, we recognise and accept that women work and have children.

Paid Maternity Leave

A national scheme of paid maternity leave is one way of providing the cultural recognition of this fact within the workforce and within society. It recognises the non-work related responsibilities of half of the people in the workforce.

It says we recognise women, who bear this particular responsibility, are entitled to the same workforce respect and recognition as the bloke who uses his defence leave entitlement to go into the army for 12 months. Or those who take study leave or long service leave; or the person who accesses their entitlement to jury duty leave.

Paid maternity leave is also about income replacement. With no universal scheme of paid maternity leave in place, the majority of women lose their entire income for at least the first few weeks following the birth of a child. Paid maternity leave will go someway to addressing the loss of income, and therefore, at least slightly reduce the gender pay gap.

It will mean that women can afford to be out of the workforce, while recovering from childbirth, establishing a breastfeeding routine and bonding with a child without the stress that they cannot financially afford to be doing this.