What do you think about this study out today? And what are your experiences?


Part-time work worst for mums

By Stephen Lunn
June 27, 2007 08:05am

WOMEN who return to work part-time after having children have more difficulty juggling career and family than mothers in full-time jobs.
And those who think they can solve the problem by starting their own business are wrong, with self-employed women even more likely to be stressed because they lack time.
"It is a double whammy for part-time working women - their jobs aren't the best career option and more is expected of them on the home front," said Barbara Po****, head of the Centre for Work + Life at the University of South Australia.
Professor Po**** conducted in March the first national survey of work-life outcomes, called Work, Life and Time, polling 1435 male and female Australians.
The results, to be released today, "confirm that long work hours have a negative effect both on the individual in terms of health and in the broader context of friendships and community involvement".
Professor Po**** said men tended to be more dissatisfied with how they managed their work and home life, but women were more stressed because of time pressures, particularly women with children.
"This is a significant finding given the uniquely Australian dependence on part-time work by women with children," Professor Po**** said.
"Many other countries, such as Sweden and France, have a much lower proportion of female part-time workers, underpinned by extended leave arrangements and quality child care.
"Australian women have instead used part-time work as their mechanism of choice. I suspect this leads to them having the worst of both worlds in terms of career advancement and time with their families."
Sydney mother of three Susan Smith-Moore, 37, has just resigned her part-time job styling properties for sale, admitting she couldn't do it all.
"I worked three days a week, but I found myself taking calls every day," Ms Smith said. I've always been diligent at work, and found myself putting work before family. I was work angel and home devil, telling clients nothing was a problem and then yelling at my kids to get in the house.
"My employers were great, but it got to a stage where I'd be at the kids' swimming lessons and get back in the car and there would be five calls I had to return. I would feel sick when I heard the mobile ring. And this was a job I liked."
Interest in the issue of work-life balance is high, with governments at all levels becoming aware it plays a part in planning for labour markets, health and community services.
"Men and women with the worst work-life outcomes report poorer health, more use of prescription medications, more stress and more dissatisfaction with their close personal relationships," the report found.
Professor Po**** said while three-quarters of Australians were satisfied overall with their work-life balance, the remaining 25 per cent were dominated by men and women with children.
It found people sacrificed more personal time for work than the other way around. "Only 5.5 per cent of workers feel their personal life takes time from their work often or almost always, compared to a quarter that feel the reverse," the report found.
Women with children were the standouts when it came to time pressure, with 72.5 per cent often or almost always feeling rushed for time compared with 44.2 per cent of women without children.
Workers over 55 and under 34 were more likely to have a better work-life balance than men and women in their mid-20s.