Centre for Work + Life media
2009
Media releases
30
October 2009 UniSA explores the truth
behind economics
According to Professor Barbara Pocock, the GFC has left us with income and
status inequalities and an inability to combine work and caring
responsibilities.
21 October 2009
Loving work fuels extreme jobs: Foenander Lecture
Australians love of work is
fuelling 'extreme' jobs and preventing us from loving other areas of our life..
24 September 2009 Too much work:
Working families feel the pressure
New analysis from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows how family life
is changing in Australia and how pushed many working parents are time....
6 August 2009
Work/life balance: What Aussies can learn from the US,
The seminar, jointly presented by the Hawke Centre, the Centre for Work +
Life and the School of Management at UniSA, discusses how productivity and
health outcomes are affected by access to leave.
"In the latest national survey of Australian workers - the 2009 Australian Work and Life Index - researchers have found that many Australians are still finding it a struggle to balance work with the rest of their lives."
13 July 2009, Media release from the Premier's Council for Women, More
work..more pay...for more women!
' Women continue to be employed in a
limited range of occupations and industries and paid less on average than their
male counterparts, and it is women who remain largely responsible for household
duties and childcare, states a new report released today by the Premier's
Council for Women..'
11 May 2009:
Paid parental leave welcomed
16 March 2009:
Paid maternity leave is a stimulus measure, say experts
11 March 2009:
Experts to tackle justice for women at work
Interviews and Discussions
Work life balance update (download audio) ABC Radio National 'Life
Matters' 27 July 2009
More women are asking for more flexible working hours. And, for the first
time, on record at least, country parents are juggling conflicting work and
life demands as much as city parents. The annual Australian Work and Life
Index, produced by the Centre for Work and Life at the University of South
Australia, is out today. The Centre's Barbara Pocock outlines the major
findings.
Taking leave (download audio) ABC Radio National, Australia Talks, 23 June 2009,Guests Barbara Pocock and others
'Working less could do more to save the environment', Deutsche Welle, Living Planet, 17 April 2009, Barbara Pocock and others
'Preparing your parachute: changing jobs in the current economic climate', interview Barbara Pocock and Neil Kurnow, ABC Radio 891, Adelaide, 24 March 2009.
'Employment experts debate prospects for minimum wage', The World Today, ABC Radio National, 23 March 2009, Barbara Pocock et al,
'Paid maternity leave',
Life Matters, ABC Radio National, 16 March 2009, Barbara Pocock and Margaret Hallock (Wayne
Morse Center for Law and Politics, University of Oregon),
The Living Low Paid', Barbara Pocock interview with Phil Dobbie, BTalk Australia, 4 March 2009.
Media reports
The best way to value women is to pay them properly Herald Sun 17
Sept 09
Women tend not to know their own value. In an era where executive salary
packages are negotiated under the table, they don't necessarily have any idea
what their professional equivalents earn....As the pay equity expert Barbara
Pocock says: "It's hard to pursue fairness if you don't know something unfair is
happening."
Women get only two hours 'me time' The Advertiser , 22 Aug 09
..A new poll has found that women are getting a raw deal when it comes to
having time for themselves... Research fellow at the University of South
Australia Centre for Work and Life, Dr Natalie Skinner, said the poll echoed
the findings of the large-scale Australian Work and Life Index 2009, which
the centre released last month.
Second job hunt, The Advertiser, 16 Aug 09
Australian workers are increasingly being forced to look for a second job
to cope with rising living costs.... Professor Barbara Pocock, director of
the Centre for Work + Life, says doing multiple jobs can be difficult.
The struggle to juggle, The Australian, 4 August 09
..Social researcher Barbara Pocock is talking about Australia's working
women and the growing disconnect between their employment ambitions and the
expectation they will take up the cudgels and drive the nation's economic
growth as the baby boomers retire...
Rural women's life becomes balancing act, Northern Star ,Lismore, 3
August 2009
...She is a perfect example of what new research has found - that the
pressures on rural woman are increasing, along with the difficulty of balancing
work and family life. The third Australian Work and Life Index report also found
that while city women faced increased stress, women living in rural and regional
areas were also feeling an extra burden.
Family first in balancing work and life Sunday Mail, 1 August 2009
Tony McGuinness' decision to walk away from coaching in order to spend more time
with his family puts the spotlight squarely on the work-life balance - or
imbalance, as it has become for many people. .....The 2009 Australian Work and
Life Index found many Australians find it a struggle to balance work with the
rest of their lives.
Balance becomes more elusive (no link available)
Feature
- The Canberra Times, Saturday 1 August
2009
The 2009 Australian Work and Life Index shows that a woman's lot has
deteriorated in relation to men's in the three years since the survey began.
Work-life balance worse for women, Sydney Morning Herald 27 July
2009
'In an unhappy levelling out of the genders, Work, Life and Workplace
Flexibility: The Australian Work and Life Index 2009, finds women are now as
annoyed as men at the extent work encroaches on other facets of life.'
Long hours taking toll on Aussie workers The Advertiser 28 July
2009
'Professor Barbara Pocock told reporters in Canberra the results were
concerning as average working hours had edged lower since last year.'
Long hours 'irritate' Aussie workers The Age 27 July 09
'The study also showed that the increased strain of full-time work on women
was not necessarily linked to motherhood, with childless women showing
similar increases in dissatisfaction.'
Housework burden falls on women Canberra Times 28 July 09
'The depressing domestic scenario laid out by the latest Australian Work and
Life Index 2009, issued yesterday by the Centre for Work and Life ...., is
that women are hardest hit by the demands of modern life and are
significantly worse off than when the first survey was conducted in 2007.'
Women feeling hemmed in by work hours AAP 27 July 2009
'Australians feel that long working hours are intruding on their personal
lives, with women feeling the strain more than men. A quarter of full-time
employees feel work regularly interferes with their personal lives...,'
Further education hindered by poor work-life balance: report Campus
Review 27 July 2009
'Paid study leave or the integration of education and training into work time
should be given serious consideration by employers if they are to ensure their
workforce continues to upskill.'
Work-life balance worse for women Sydney Morning Herald July 27th
2009
'One of the report's authors, ... said women felt obliged to stay in paid work
as the global recession cast a shadow over their partners' jobs.'
---------------------------------
Less can mean more for working mums, The Australian 25 July 2009
'Research reveals the work-life balance of part-time
working women is almost as out of kilter as full-time workers, and for both
groups it has significantly worsened over the past three years.'
Higher fees slug for TAFEs The Age, 8 July 2009
Professor Pocock will tell a conference at Ballarat University today that the
changing nature of workers and the prospect of labour shortages will require a
dramatic rethink of employment and training.
South Australian women getting a raw deal, The Advertiser, 10 July
2009
More than half of SA women are employed in just three occupations - clerical,
service and sales positions - and few are venturing into male-dominated fields
offering higher pay. The findings are contained in the Working Women in South
Australia: Progress, Prospects and Challenges report, compiled by UniSA
work-life expert Professor Barbara Pocock for the Premier's Council for Women.
No Frills forum for Ballarat, Ballarat News, 8 July 2009
Professor Pocock's address will talk about the impact of the current economic
climate on low-paid workers.
Working extra hours won't drive men to divorce The Australian 05
June 09
'But Barbara Pocock, from the Centre for Work and Life at the University of
South Australia, said it was hard to unpick the complex reasons behind
divorce..'
Aussies 'better' from paid maternity scheme Courier Mail 12 May 09
Barbara Pocock, the
Director of the Centre for Work and Life at the University
of South Australia, said the paid maternity leave scheme would result in more
participation of women in the work force."Women will be away longer when they
have a baby, but there will be more jobs created as a consequence," she said.
'Struggling for equity and justice', UniSA News, April 2009
'Some home truths about the recession', Australian Financial Review, 7–8 March
2009, pp 22–23.
A downturn doesn't necessarily make balance easier, says Barbara Pocock.
'How to do your boss a favour: go away', Brisbane Times, 29
March 2009
'We used to consider this country the land of the long weekend, but
increasingly it's the land of long hours', says Barbara Pocock.
'Train drivers fight to keep Sundays sacred', Courier Mail, 11
February 2009
Barbara Pocock is concerned about the continued erosion of leisure time, and
the effects of this on children.
2008
Media releases
27 October 2008: True stories of
Australia's working poor: new book uncovers the dark side of the lucky
country
28 July 2008:
Work–life pressure crunches families and singles
26 June 2008:
UniSA helps to build the global picture on work and life
28 May 2008
(Word 53 kb): Time to act on paid maternity leave: pay mothers the same as
reservists
29 February 2008:
Research opens the door to skills education for low earners
Interviews
Pip Williams, 'Talkback: Appreciation, more please!',, LifeMatters, Radio National, 6 June 2008.
Barbara Pocock on video '9 am with David and Kim', discussing the 2020 summit, April 2008, including the PM's proposal for combined services for children and parents.
Barbara Pocock,
International
Women's Day panel discussion with Marian Baird, Sharan Burrow, Geraldine
Doogue, Dale Spender and Tanya Plibersek, topic: 'Working women 100 years
on: where have we been; where are we now; and, where are we going?', 11
March 2008. (Scroll down to 'Watch the panel discussion ...) Organised by
the Australian Government Office for Women.
Media reports
New law fails young families, The Mail – Mornington Peninsula, 27
December 2008
Barbara Pocock said legal rights were meaningful only if they were backed up
by sanctions for non-compliance.
Overload worse than long hours,
Business Sense, News.com.au, 11 December 2008
Barbara Pocock found that overloading forced people to work faster or
longer, or both.
NSW first to suffer jobless increase,
Sydney Morning Herald, 7 November 2008
It is quite possible that the
expansion in part-time employment is second earners seeking to boost
household incomes, said Barbara Pocock.
No guarantee on ABC
centres, The Canberra Times, 1 November 2008
Barbara Pocock said the case provided a good argument for taking child care
out of the private sector and giving it to not-for-profit groups.
What teens want: respect, mobility and a place to go, The Age,
12 July 2008.
Teenagers can feel left out of a world designed largely for grown-ups and
young children, says Pip Williams.
Time to pay maternity leave, The Advertiser, 9 April 2008.
SA must introduce state-based paid maternity leave and other work–life
balance provisions to attract and retain skilled workers.
Dads find ways to work around long hours, Sydney Morning Herald,
31 January 2008
Long work hours are not the main reason many fathers spend little time with
their children.
2007
Media releases
16 November 2007:
Money can't buy you family life...
22 October 2007:
Young workers 'in the dark' about workplace rights
18 September 2007:
WorkChoices: a mood for change?
13 August 2007:
Report shows working women lose out under WorkChoices
24 July 2007:
SA verdict on WorkChoices overwhelmingly negative
27 June 2007:
Australian workers feel the work–life squeeze
10 April 2007:
A new index to work–life balance
7 March 2007:
HREOC report confirms we can do better to support Australian working
families: expert says
26 February 2007:
X + Y = answers on home, work and community
29 January 2007 (Word 70
kb): ALP takes a step in the right direction with new focus on early
childhood education
Interviews
Barbara
Pocock, ABC Radio Conversation Hour, conversation with Richard Fidler, 21
September 2007.
CClick on the control bar below then on the play button. You need Windows Media Player.
Alternate download/a>
Or read this
brief summary from the ABC Queensland site.
Women in low paid work under WorkChoices. Dr Jude Elton, CWL, and Dr
Alison Preston, Director, Women in Social and Economic Research, Curtin
University, were interviewed by Richard Aedy, Life Matters, ABC Radio
National, 13 August 2007.
Media reports
Workers' time is just as important as money, The Australian, 26
October 2007
Working hours
are a lively topic in many Australian households, but you would never guess
it from the election offerings so far...
Hockey smear 'attack on freedom', The Australian, 24 October 2007
Personal criticism of a researcher by Workplace Relations Minister Joe
Hockey was 'extremely silly' and an attach on academic freedom...
Pressures, not just hours, infecting family life, The Australian,
12 July 2007
Getting the right work–life balance is not just about simply cutting down
work hours in favour of family time or recreation.
Call for two weeks' paternity leave, The Australian, 9 July 2007
All dads should be paid two weeks' paternity leave to improve wellbeing and
work productivity.
Part-time work worst for mums, The Australian, 27 June 2007
Women who return to work part-time after having children have more
difficulty juggling career and family...
Lives on hold in a casual affair, The Australian, 9 June 2007
Unemployment figures are at a 32-year low, but Australia has the highest
level of unemployment in the OECD.
A year of childcare 'disrupts', The Australian, 27 March 2007
Spending a year of more in a long-daycare centre increases the likelihood
that a child will be disruptive at school.
Rudd brings learning into play, The Australian, 30 January 2007
An election battle looms over preschool education...
David McKnight: Invisible hand crushing social heart, The Australian,
5 January 2007
The Coalition's industrial relations laws have pushed the family barbecue to
the verge of extinction.
2006
Media releases
8 December 2006:
Academic critical of work and family report
11 October 2006:
Clare Burton Memorial Lecture 2006
15 March 2006:
Work and life on UniSA's research agenda
Media reports
Long hours don't work for families, The Australian, 15 November
2006
The clash between the workforce and the workplace is emerging as one of the
most important concerns of contemporary Australia.
Growth at the expense of care, The Australian, 1 November 2006
Australia is a very rich country, but an increasingly unequal society.
Cut to the bone: working poor on the rise, The Australian, 10
April 2006
Even before they and their workmates were sacked by Cowra Abattoir last
week, Vicki and Terry Rawiri supplemented their earnings with casual jobs...
Catherine Armitage: Nurture the neighbours, The Australian, 4
March 2006
The decline of social capital has lots of causes ... but the overwhelming
cause is the lack of time...