work, families and wellbeing: insights and implications of aifs research professor alan hayes...
TRANSCRIPT
Work, Families and Wellbeing: Insights and Implications of AIFS Research
Professor Alan Hayes
Presentation to theWork, Families & Wellbeing Forum
4 May 2006
Parental employment, 1984 and 2004
Source : Australian Bureau of Statistics Labour Force Survey
With dependents under 5 With dependents under 15
1984 2004 1984 2004
Per cent
Couple families
Both parents employed 29.2 46.5 41.4 57.8
Mother employed full-time 10.6 13.8 17.1 22.8
Mother employed part-time 18.7 32.6 24.3 35.0
One parent employed 62.8 47.6 51.1 37.4
Neither parent employed 8.0 6.0 7.5 5.9
Single Parents
Parent employed 20.6 29.8 35.4 48.0
Full-time 10.7 12.7 21.9 22.4
Part-time 9.9 17.1 13.5 25.5
Caring for children and adults : Demographic and Social Trends
Increasing proportion of workforce with adult care responsibilities
Ageing - % population 65+ projected to increase 12.8% in 2002 26.1% to 2044
Policy response - increase mature age employment rates Increasing female employment rates Shift from institutional to community care for adults with disabilities Delayed fertility
Numbers of workers with child and adult care responsibilities will increase - “sandwich generation”
Use of flexible work arrangements (%), NSW 2000
Gray and Hughes, 2005
Type of caring responsibilities
Children
only
Children and adults
Adults
only
Male 29.8 59.5 39.5
Female 47.3 63.1 43.6
Unmet need for family friendly work arrangements, last 6-months (%), NSW 2000
Gray and Hughes, 2005
Type of caring responsibilities
Children
only
Children and adults
Adults
only
Male 9.5 14.6 14.9
Female 12.1 20.1 15.7
Value of unpaid caring by age and gender, Australia, 1997 (1997 dollars)
De Vaus, Gray and Stanton, 2003
Female
$per annum
Male
$per annum
Child care
15-24 years 4,250 638
25-44 years 25,857 9,790
45-54 years 5,003 4,609
55-64 years 2,926 1,542
65-74 years 2,111 772
75 plus years 260 83
Adult care
15-54 years 135 39
55 plus years 190 91
The role of grandparents in providing care, snapshots from Growing Up in Australia
Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC)
A nationally representative sample of 10 090 children in two age groups
Infants (3 - 19 months) 4 - 5 year olds
Data were collected through interviews, observation and questionnaires
The focus is both on the children and the contexts of their development
Face-to-face contact between children and grandparents by birth cohort, 2004
Gray, Misson & Hayes, 2006
Infants % 4 to 5 year olds %
Every day 13.2 12.0
At least every week 48.9 44.8
At least every month 16.8 18.1
A few times a year 11.2 13.8
Rarely 6.0 7.5
No contact 2.9 2.6
Does not have any grandparents 1.0 1.2
Number 4,223 4,138
Hours per week of regular grandparent care by birth cohort
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
1 to 4 5 to 8 9 to 12 13 to 16 17 to 24 25+
Hours/week
Percentage
Infants 4-5 year olds
Main reason for using child care by main child care type
Source: Wave 1 LSAC, 2004.
Infant 4 to 5 year olds
GrandparentChild care
centreGrandparent
Child care centre
Per cent
Parent’s work or study commitments 69.4 78.6 73.9 65.5
Parent’s sport, shopping, social or community activities 12.0 0.9 5.2 2.1
Give parent a break or time alone 10.0 10.1 3.7 9.1
Good for child’s social development 0.5 5.0 1.8 12.6
To establish relationships with grandparents 3.6 0.0 10.4 0.3
Proportion of children regularly cared for by grandparent(s) by birth cohort, 2004
Infant 4 to 5 year olds
Per cent
Cared for by grandparent 18.0 17.3
Cared for by grandparent and no other care 13.2 0.6
Cared for by grandparent and other care 4.8 16.7
Number 5,105 4,981
Source : Gray, Misson and Hayes, 2005
Concluding Comments
A role for employers? the business case
regulatory environment
corporate social responsibility
A role for government? regulation of conditions of employment
information campaigns
child care policy
changes to the social security and taxation system
policies to encourage sharing of family responsibilities between mothers and fathers
A role for employees?