Work Life Balance
Closing the earnings gap and easing the load women carry at work and at home.
Women's Forum Australia maintains that while there has been a great improvement in workplace practices that support work life balance, women are still struggling to juggle their multitude of roles, from paid work to domestic work to child rearing and more.
Women's Forum Australia, in its research report 'Reality Check: Work Life Balance', has found that Australian women still earn less per hour for skill-equivalent work, have substantially lower lifetime earnings and accumulate less wealth and superannuation than men. Our findings indicate that the reasons for the earnings gap include direct and indirect discrimination, as well as entrenched social bias. Migrant women are particularly at risk.
Women's Forum Australia has also found that in addition to earning less than men, Australian women also work longer hours than men in paid and unpaid employment. This is making it increasingly difficult for women to achieve a work life balance and is contributing to increased health risk and overall decline in women's quality of life. Many women are choosing to delay or forgo study, community work and personal relationships, including having children as a result.
Women's Forum Australia advocates for a range of initiatives to address these concerns, including improved organisational culture and management support, more flexible work arrangements, and better government support for families.