It's about time: Women, men, work and family - final paper 2007

Sex Discrimination

1st March, 2007

It's about time: Women, men, work and family - final paper 2007

The women, men, work and family project was launched by former Sex Discrimination Commissioner Pru Goward in 2005. It builds on the Commission's previous work on paid maternity leave and examines the relationship between family responsibilities and paid work.

The Commission released a discussion paper, Striking the Balance: Women, men, work and family in June 2005.

It's About Time: Women, men, work and family, released in March 2007, is the final paper of this project.

Our aim has been to broaden the work and family debate to better include men's role in family life, include forms of care other than child care (such as elder care and care for people with disability) and to highlight the relationship between paid work and unpaid work.

It's About Time makes the case for a new framework to support a balance between paid work and family responsibilities. This new framework recognises changes in caring needs and responsibilities across the life cycle, addresses equality between men and women and reflects a "shared work - valued care" approach.

It proposes a series of changes to legislation, workplace policy and practice and government programs to support this new approach.

Making this new framework a reality requires commitment from governments, employers, communities, families and individuals because, in the end, striking the balance between paid work and family is a shared responsibility.

It's About Time Final Paper