Women in the workforce

1. Women in the workforce Julia Perry

2. National Foundation for Australian Women • To ensure that the aims and ideals of the Women's Movement and its collective wisdom are handed on to new generations of women; and • To advance and protect the interests of Australian women in all spheres, including intellectual, cultural, political, social, economic, legal, industrial and domestic spheres.

3. What NFAW does • discussion and debate • promotes research and collection of information • supplies information to broad Women's Movement • links/communication between women's organisations • monitors and reports on the situation of women; • encourages studies, research, conferences, seminars • sponsors lectures • promotes co-operation to advance the interests of women; • other general action to advance interests of Australian women http://www.nfaw.org

4. NFAW - Recent Campaigns • Workchoices • Welfare to Work • Paid maternity/Parental leave • Child care: outside school hours care • Sex discrimination • Gender pay equity

5. Women’s financial disadvantages • Fewer in employment • Wage differentials across the board • Concentration in traditional women’s work • Fewer own a business, fewer still own one with employees • Weak industrial bargaining power • Lack of paid maternity leave • Casualisation and part-time work • Lack of family friendly working conditions • Inadequate child care

10. Key labour force statistics

11. The gender penalty

12. Work choices and women • No disadvantage test took away award protection • Individual bargaining disadvantageous to women & family friendly conditions • Reduced rights to union support • Industrial tribunals lost role of wage adjustment and test case reforms • Removal of State jurisdiction • No pattern bargaining – women in SMEs • No unfair dismissal encouraged covert discrimination and harassment • Welfare to Work – parents could not turn down job

13. Workplace Relations Amendment (Transition to Forward with Fairness) Act 2008 • no new AWAs • Individual Transitional Employment Agreements • no-disadvantage test for future workplace agreements • AIRC to start modernising awards.

14. Award Modernisation – allowable conditions • Maximum weekly hours of work • Request for flexible working arrangements • Parental leave and related entitlements • Annual leave • Personal/Carer’s leave and compassionate leave • Community service leave • Long service leave • Public holidays • Notice of termination and redundancy pay • Fair Work Information Statement

15. What next in IR? • Unfair dismissals • Rights of unions and members • Pattern bargaining • Better protection of casual workers • Regular adjustment of awards • Test cases to deal with new issues • Gender pay equity • Who adjudicates disputes?

16. Paid parental leave • Social and economic reproduction • Equality for women • Benefits to babies and parents • Long term benefits – health, emotional, cognitive, social • Role of fathers and paternity leave

17. PML models • Fully Government paid – minimum wage? • Likely to be inadequate flat rate • Direct employer paid – like other forms of leave • Serious danger of discrimination • Insurance based scheme – employer levy and government contribution