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
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
Negotiating Transitions to Retirement. This project will track diverse pathways in work/retirement transitions, by analysing how the present policy mix accommodates shifts in labour markets, demographic shifts and shifts in households and income distributions. Focused on cohorts aged 45 to 64, it firstly analyses national data sets to track the impact of the current policy mix in terms of income security, industrial relations, housing, health, education and training and work/life. Secondly, i ....Negotiating Transitions to Retirement. This project will track diverse pathways in work/retirement transitions, by analysing how the present policy mix accommodates shifts in labour markets, demographic shifts and shifts in households and income distributions. Focused on cohorts aged 45 to 64, it firstly analyses national data sets to track the impact of the current policy mix in terms of income security, industrial relations, housing, health, education and training and work/life. Secondly, it draws on qualitative data to further examine how these transitions are played out. The research will develop a new policy matrix for older workers that addresses risk, social exclusion and social protection.Read moreRead less
Theoretical and policy implications of changing work/life patterns and preferences of Australian women, men and children, households and communities. This project establishes a Research Fellowship for Ass. Prof. Barbara Pocock, that will principally analyse and investigate, over five years, the relationship of changing patterns of work (broadly defined) in Australia, and the changing nature of Australian households, communities and workplaces. The study explores the effects of work upon househol ....Theoretical and policy implications of changing work/life patterns and preferences of Australian women, men and children, households and communities. This project establishes a Research Fellowship for Ass. Prof. Barbara Pocock, that will principally analyse and investigate, over five years, the relationship of changing patterns of work (broadly defined) in Australia, and the changing nature of Australian households, communities and workplaces. The study explores the effects of work upon households, along with individual preferences and household, community and workplace structures (and their interaction), drawing out implications for social theory and policy. It will analyse policy, quantitative data, and collect and analyse new qualitative data at Australian sites, within an international context.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
A psychosocial approach to subjectivity and the changing Australian labour market. An examination of the discourses and narratives people draw on to make sense of and adapt to the changing Australian labour market will be undertaken. The meanings that are made and the patterns of adaptation to the changing workplace in terms of fatigue, uncertainty, insecurity, stress and depression, and the effects these have on workers, their families and their places of work will also be scrutinised. Attempti ....A psychosocial approach to subjectivity and the changing Australian labour market. An examination of the discourses and narratives people draw on to make sense of and adapt to the changing Australian labour market will be undertaken. The meanings that are made and the patterns of adaptation to the changing workplace in terms of fatigue, uncertainty, insecurity, stress and depression, and the effects these have on workers, their families and their places of work will also be scrutinised. Attempting to understand these narratives offers the opportunity to think about the production of healthy work narratives and healthy workers, and about possible interventions in policy, work place practices and training.Read moreRead less
The production of pay (in)equity for women: a study of emerging occupations. The aims of this project are to extend understanding of current impediments to pay equity for women, and to elaborate the ways in which pay inequality is re-created in new contexts. The focus is on emerging occupations likely to provide increasing employment opportunities in the near future. This is highly significant research at a time of structural change and when new procedures for addressing pay equity are being dev ....The production of pay (in)equity for women: a study of emerging occupations. The aims of this project are to extend understanding of current impediments to pay equity for women, and to elaborate the ways in which pay inequality is re-created in new contexts. The focus is on emerging occupations likely to provide increasing employment opportunities in the near future. This is highly significant research at a time of structural change and when new procedures for addressing pay equity are being developed in several States following pay equity inquiries. Expected outcomes include enhanced comprehension of the reproduction of pay inequality and evidence to assist the advancement of pay equity through identified mechanisms and strategies.Read moreRead less
Work-Life Integration: Developing the 'Dual Agenda' in Theory and Practice. This project addresses the important and urgent need to reconcile organizational efficiency with employee needs to balance work, personal and family life. Current research indicates that the adoption of standard ?family-friendly? policies is hindered by traditional, gendered work processes, organizational norms and structures. A new approach called the ?dual agenda? for change is advocated to resolve this problem. This p ....Work-Life Integration: Developing the 'Dual Agenda' in Theory and Practice. This project addresses the important and urgent need to reconcile organizational efficiency with employee needs to balance work, personal and family life. Current research indicates that the adoption of standard ?family-friendly? policies is hindered by traditional, gendered work processes, organizational norms and structures. A new approach called the ?dual agenda? for change is advocated to resolve this problem. This project tests the application of the ?dual agenda? in two large Australian organisations. The data produced will identify policies and processes which meet the ?dual agenda? of gender equitable, improved work-life outcomes for employees and improved business outcomes for organizations.Read moreRead less
Social Policy and Transitional Labour Markets in Australia. The fundamental aim of this project is to explore new institutional arrangements in the area of social policy to cope with structural change in both labour markets and household formation. The project uses the idea of key labour market transitions both to explore the dynamics of labour markets over the life course for individuals or groups and to envisage new types of institutional arrangements that serve to manage risk and enhance peop ....Social Policy and Transitional Labour Markets in Australia. The fundamental aim of this project is to explore new institutional arrangements in the area of social policy to cope with structural change in both labour markets and household formation. The project uses the idea of key labour market transitions both to explore the dynamics of labour markets over the life course for individuals or groups and to envisage new types of institutional arrangements that serve to manage risk and enhance people's capacity for social participation. Bringing together a diverse and high-powered group of experts with experience across a range of social policy and labour market arenas, this project will contribute to international debate on the future of the welfare state.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