Submission for Standing Committee on Family and Human Services on Work and Family Balance
Purpose
The purpose is to inform on issues including population and labour force projections and concluding with a recommendations to support families to balance work and family.
Issues covered
Australia, like many other western countries, is facing a decline in labour force growth over the next five decades. This decline is related to the projected decline in population growth, specifically growth in the working-age population, as well as a projected decline in the labour force participation rate.
The projected decline in population growth is related to a decline in fertility rates. Falling fertility rates in Australia (and elsewhere) are associated with the increased age at which women have their first child and hence the fewer children per woman, on average.
The low fertility rate means that the proportion of younger age groups in the population decreases with the result that the population becomes concentrated in the older age groups, referred to as the ageing of the population.
Outcomes
This submission shows that part-time work is the main work arrangement used by women workers providing family care versus paid leave for males.
Nearly one-third (32%) of the women reported use part-time work as a means of providing care for a family member.
Among the many other interesting differences by gender is the relatively low use of flex time by women. Only 13 per cent reported using this arrangement compared to 22 per cent of males.
Date created
22 April 2005
Submission from Queensland Government to Standing Committee on Family and Human Services on Work and Family Balance (PDF, 157KB)
Last updated July 21, 2005
Other languages