Work and Family--A Balancing Act

Abstract

In March 1990, the Australian government ratified the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 156-workers with family responsibilities, thereby committing itself-to fulfil the obligations contained in that convention (Napoli, 1994: 1). Considerable changes in Australian lifestyles and the relationship between work and family life over recent decades have led to 'the progressive entry of women into the workforce and accompanying shifts in the traditional roles of men and women have raised new issues for employers' (Department of Industrial Relations, 1994b: 1). This paper focuses on family-friendly work practices. These can be defined as working arrangements that make it easier for individuals to manage the often conflicting worlds of their work and family lives. Perhaps the most familiar familyfriendly practice is work-based childcare as this receives constant media attention. However, a wide range of possible other initiatives exist, including maternity and paternity leave, emergency leave, part-time work, flexible working hours, careerbreak schemes, job sharing and elder care. Gilchrist (1991: 44) noted that following significant social change during the past thirty years, the nuclear family with one working parent is no longer the norm.Likewise, Glezer (1991: 6) points out that traditional household roles with the man being the breadwinner and the wife staying at home to.look after the house and children have been changing for years. Carmody (1991: 16) suggests that the days when policies and practices were predicated on the way it was for Anglo-Saxon men, into which everyone had to fit, are long gone. Research by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) in 1990 supports this view: only 17% of men and 16% of women surveyed agreed that a husband's job is to earn money and the wife's job is to look after the house (Wolcott, 1991: 4).Women are increasingly working ih the paid workforce (Carmody, 1990: 5; Kelty, 1992: 3; Bohen & Viveros-Long, 1981: 21) with 53% of married women working for pay in 1990 (Wolcott, 1992: 7). Their increased numbers in the workplace have led many women to have a stronger voice to demand benefits that will help to balance work and family responsibilites. Wolcott (1992: 11) suggests that excessive work hours, rigid work schedules and spillover of fatigue contribute to work and family conflict. The presence of children, elderly parents, and economic status of the family may add to the level of stress that is experienced.Edgar (1991) believes that the rigidities of workplace awards and practices are major contributing factors to family stress, conflict and breakdown and recommendations published by Smith (1992) suggest that more needs to be done by managers at individual workplaces via consultation with individual employees and trade unions to 120 break down award rigidities. Callandar (1991: 60) points out that current restrictive award provisions are causing Australia to lag behind in the issue of flexible work patterns. She asserts that 90% of the Australian workf...

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