Parents, Time Pressure and Earnings. Parents of young children are time poor. They struggle to find the time to provide both income security and care for young children and themselves. This has become a pressing public policy issue, because an ageing society faces a critical labour shortage unless it mobilizes the underutilized capacity of mothers. The project has the potential to improve the well-being of all family members. Promoting the conditions for good parenting ensures that children have ....Parents, Time Pressure and Earnings. Parents of young children are time poor. They struggle to find the time to provide both income security and care for young children and themselves. This has become a pressing public policy issue, because an ageing society faces a critical labour shortage unless it mobilizes the underutilized capacity of mothers. The project has the potential to improve the well-being of all family members. Promoting the conditions for good parenting ensures that children have a healthy start to life in their early years. Facilitating parents' continuing employment promotes self esteem, self-reliance and the ability to save for a comfortable retirement.Read moreRead less
Country practices: an analysis of factors affecting the wellbeing of general practitioners and their families in rural and remote WA. This project will analyse relationships between (1) the shortage of general practitioners in rural and remote Western Australia and (2) the wellbeing of practitioners and their families. The study will use an appropriate sociological framework, together with data drawn primarily from participant observation and intensive interviewing. It will deepen our understand ....Country practices: an analysis of factors affecting the wellbeing of general practitioners and their families in rural and remote WA. This project will analyse relationships between (1) the shortage of general practitioners in rural and remote Western Australia and (2) the wellbeing of practitioners and their families. The study will use an appropriate sociological framework, together with data drawn primarily from participant observation and intensive interviewing. It will deepen our understanding of problems in attracting and retaining general practitioners to work in rural and remote communities, and of ways in which these problems might be addressed. Innovative aspects of the study include the use of ethnographic research methods and the inclusion of family members in the analysis.Read moreRead less
Drivers and contexts of affirmative action, equal opportunity and diversity strategies. This project will use a case-study approach to provide a series of rich accounts about the introduction, implementation and evaluation of affirmative action and equal employment opportunity strategies in twelve Australian organizations. Focussing on in-depth interviews with key personnel from the Chief Executive Officers to those women intended to benefit from such strategies, the research will provide ground ....Drivers and contexts of affirmative action, equal opportunity and diversity strategies. This project will use a case-study approach to provide a series of rich accounts about the introduction, implementation and evaluation of affirmative action and equal employment opportunity strategies in twelve Australian organizations. Focussing on in-depth interviews with key personnel from the Chief Executive Officers to those women intended to benefit from such strategies, the research will provide ground-breaking evidence about the drivers behind such organizational change, the factors associated with successful implementation, and the range of indicators on which such strategies have been evaluated.Read moreRead less
The Quality of Part-Time Employment in Australia: Dimensions, Prospects and Policy. Part-time employment is an important and growing phenomenon in Australia, as in most OECD countries. While research has focused on the quantity of part-time employment, the key dimension of quality has been neglected. This project will develop a sophisticated conceptual framework for assessing the quality of part-time employment, drawing on cross-national comparisons and using a gender systems approach. It will ....The Quality of Part-Time Employment in Australia: Dimensions, Prospects and Policy. Part-time employment is an important and growing phenomenon in Australia, as in most OECD countries. While research has focused on the quantity of part-time employment, the key dimension of quality has been neglected. This project will develop a sophisticated conceptual framework for assessing the quality of part-time employment, drawing on cross-national comparisons and using a gender systems approach. It will produce a comprehensive and practical assessment of the quality of part-time employment in Australia, including two detailed industry case studies. Finally, the project will evaluate the main policy paths for improving the quality of part-time employment.Read moreRead less
Domestic Technology and the Management of Time. This project will make a significant contribution to temporary debates about time poverty and work-family balance. It proposes to analyse under-utilised data sources to investigate whether time pressure can be alleviated through the application of information and communications technology, such as personal computers, mobile phones and programmable domestic equipment. It is a widespread assumption that domestic technologies simply save time. This pr ....Domestic Technology and the Management of Time. This project will make a significant contribution to temporary debates about time poverty and work-family balance. It proposes to analyse under-utilised data sources to investigate whether time pressure can be alleviated through the application of information and communications technology, such as personal computers, mobile phones and programmable domestic equipment. It is a widespread assumption that domestic technologies simply save time. This project explores the extent to which technologies in the home instead facilitate 'time-shifting- or the re-scheduling of tasks in a way that may reduce feelings of time pressure and enhance the quality of leisure time.Read moreRead less
Neoliberalism, Inequality and Politics: Public Policy and the Transformation of Australian Society. In 20 years since 1983 there has been a fundamental transformation of Australian public policy based on economic deregulation, an increasing emphasis on market processes and the privatisation and corporatisation of government businesses and services. This project examines the impact of these changes on social mobility and inequality, gender relations and politics and culture. The project uses high ....Neoliberalism, Inequality and Politics: Public Policy and the Transformation of Australian Society. In 20 years since 1983 there has been a fundamental transformation of Australian public policy based on economic deregulation, an increasing emphasis on market processes and the privatisation and corporatisation of government businesses and services. This project examines the impact of these changes on social mobility and inequality, gender relations and politics and culture. The project uses high-quality national sample surveys and leading-edge statistical methods to adjudicate on whether neoliberalism produces positive or negative social outcomes in these three areas of social life.Read moreRead less
Casual Employees and Trade Union Representation in Australia: An analysis of channels and barriers to effective trade union representation. This study aims to describe and explain the barriers and channels to effective representation of casual workers in Australian unions, using analysis of ABS data, a survey of casual workers, semi-structured interviews with union officials, and case-studies of union campaigns. The study offers an innovative multi-disciplinary framework for analysis of two of t ....Casual Employees and Trade Union Representation in Australia: An analysis of channels and barriers to effective trade union representation. This study aims to describe and explain the barriers and channels to effective representation of casual workers in Australian unions, using analysis of ABS data, a survey of casual workers, semi-structured interviews with union officials, and case-studies of union campaigns. The study offers an innovative multi-disciplinary framework for analysis of two of the most significant and interlocking trends affecting Australian workplaces: the growth of casual work and the decline of union influence. Outcomes will include published contributions to the international academic literature on labour restructuring and union renewal and a policy-oriented discussion paper for an Australian audience.Read moreRead less
Redesigning work for an ageing society. The significance of this proposal is the opportunity it creates to identify and manage occupational risks and vulnerabilities that challenge the retention of ageing workers in Australia. It will build a statistical overview of the main occupational risks faced by ageing workers and also design, implement and test interventions in Australian workplaces. The project will examine and adapt a leading international framework for managing ageing workforces, the ....Redesigning work for an ageing society. The significance of this proposal is the opportunity it creates to identify and manage occupational risks and vulnerabilities that challenge the retention of ageing workers in Australia. It will build a statistical overview of the main occupational risks faced by ageing workers and also design, implement and test interventions in Australian workplaces. The project will examine and adapt a leading international framework for managing ageing workforces, the Finnish 'work ability' model,to the Australian context. The main outcomes will be both practical organisational guidelines and a broad policy framework for increasing the'work ability' of older workers, both in Australia and internationally.
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The Teaching Occupation in Learning Societies: A global ethnography of occupational boundary work. Education is a key instrument for governments and communities managing economic and social development. Yet the historical model of closed centralised national school and training systems cannot meet current government policy or community expectations in open global economies. This global ethnography contributes to knowledge about changes in teaching as an occupation; provides evidence about re-ord ....The Teaching Occupation in Learning Societies: A global ethnography of occupational boundary work. Education is a key instrument for governments and communities managing economic and social development. Yet the historical model of closed centralised national school and training systems cannot meet current government policy or community expectations in open global economies. This global ethnography contributes to knowledge about changes in teaching as an occupation; provides evidence about re-ordered relationships, cross-border demands and boundary work in teaching; suggests policy solutions to address occupational renewal and teacher workforce development; develops innovative global research methodologies and strategies; and consolidates expert global networks in education and human service work as a resource for Australian research.Read moreRead less
Professional induction of female and male firefighters in a metropolitan fire station. This research offers new understanding of how the gendered professional identity of recruit firefighters is shaped by the regimes of selection, training and transition to work, in a metropolitan fire station. Doctoral research will explore whether women's relational and communication capacities are developed or discouraged in a masculinist work setting such as firefighting. The project will enhance understandi ....Professional induction of female and male firefighters in a metropolitan fire station. This research offers new understanding of how the gendered professional identity of recruit firefighters is shaped by the regimes of selection, training and transition to work, in a metropolitan fire station. Doctoral research will explore whether women's relational and communication capacities are developed or discouraged in a masculinist work setting such as firefighting. The project will enhance understanding of why some occupations remain male dominated despite 20 years of policy and program level change initiatives. It will have direct benefits for both metropolitan and rural firefighting services in Australia, assisting them to adapt to new professional and equity imperatives.Read moreRead less