Gender and the Work/Care Regime

Policies are also set up as if women with children belong to two separate groups, “working mothers” and “stay at home mothers,” but the reality is that many women move between paid and unpaid work. Additionally, women do the majority of unpaid work regardless of marital or employment status (housework and looking after other people). Sociologist Professor Barbara Pocock’s book “The Work/Life Collision” analyses how paid work and “caring” work take a heavy toll on women’s career progression and health. Additionally, she shows that some groups of women face additional policy issues, such as Indigenous women, who face racism and higher rates of unemployment, inadequate social services, and professional exclusion. Migrant women also lack support in having their professional credentials recognised, as well as navigating different cultural expectations about caring for family.

“Australia’s Work/Care regimes is two generations behind… Resistance to worker/mothers exists and is still mobilised to undermine even basic provisions like paid maternity leave…”

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