Would equality between men and women require a more equal sharing of paid work?
This is really the question of the chicken or the egg. If women and men shared paid work equally would society view women’s nurturing role differently or is it that unpaid work needs to be shared equally so that women can participate more equally in the workplace. Which one is it the chicken or the egg? What should we change first? Really it’s not simply a matter of sharing but of removing the social and cultural barriers that prevent a greater equality both in the public and private sphere. The best way to explain that is to consider the fact that – “how come if the house is a mess it’s the female half of the partnership that is judged?” If “relative to comparable countries Australian women have a low level of workplace involvement” then we should be investigating this to find out what is different, what alternative models are there and what structures are working elsewhere for women. 5. Does the imbalance in sharing of paid and unpaid work by men and women affect children, and if so
This is really the question of the chicken or the egg. If women and men shared paid work equally would society view women’s nurturing role differently or is it that unpaid work needs to be shared equally so that women can participate more equally in the workplace. Which one is it the chicken or the egg? What should we change first? Really it’s not simply a matter of sharing but of removing the social and cultural barriers that prevent a greater equality both in the public and private sphere. The best way to explain that is to consider the fact that – “how come if the house is a mess it’s the female half of the partnership that is judged?” If “relative to comparable countries Australian women have a low level of workplace involvement” then we should be investigating this to find out what is different, what alternative models are there and what structures are working elsewhere for women. 5. Does the imbalance in sharing of paid and unpaid work by men and women affect children, and if so
