Are Australian workplaces family friendly?

This article focuses on the Australian workplaces. In its recent release, "Australian Social Trends," the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS 1996) examined unpublished data and concluded that although it does not show in the data, there is a difference in the "standardized" rate at which men and women take sick leave. Part of this difference is because women and men have different occupational arrangements; if the shape of both groups were identical, women would be seen to be taking more sick leave than men for each type of occupation. The overall analysis suggests a slightly higher use of sick leave by both mothers and fathers with children under 15, compared with men and women who do not have the same child-related responsibilities. The casualization of the workforce has hit women more than it has men, because they are more likely to be working part-time or in areas more subject to the casualization of labor. Casualization, by definition, is employment which does not bring with it either sick leave or holiday leave. Neither, in most cases, does it carry with it long service leave, which is available to 84 per cent of full-time permanent workers and more than half of the part-time permanent workers.