The 2024 National Working Families Survey highlights that combining work and family commitments increasingly takes toll on parents, and that women bear the brunt.
The results of the survey - conducted by Parents At Work and UNICEF Australia and completed by over 6,200 working parents and carers - will be lauched today among female advocates from organisations including Women’s Agenda, The Parenthood and Deloitte.
Key Findings:
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74% of women & 47% of men reported feeling stressed balancing work and family commitments
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50% of respondents say an employee’s commitment to their job is questioned if they used family-friendly working arrangements
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28% of working parents and carers say they have considered leaving their job in the next 12 months due to difficulties combining their job with caring responsibilities
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41% of women and 29% of men said they need better access to childcare
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41% of parents report their parental leave being too short (45% of men, 39% of women)
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The biggest challenge for parents and carers remains managing their physical and mental health.
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Workplace cultures still predominantly support men as the primary income earners and women as primary caregivers.
"Despite some improvements, these findings underscore the urgent need for more robust family-friendly policies at both an employer and government level to support working families," CEO of The Parenthood, Georgie Dent, said. "Our workplaces and attitudes must evolve to reflect the realities experienced by working parents and carers. It is not sustainable for so many parents to feel that it’s so difficult to financially provide for their families and be there for their family."
The survey compared current data with findings from the same survey conducted in 2019. In 2024, 74% of women reported feeling stressed balancing work and family commitments, up from 51% in 2019. For men, this figure rose from 34% in 2019 to 57% in 2024.
"In trying to strike the balance between work and family commitments, it's evident that the pressures on working families are not being adequately addressed," Ms Dent said. "The findings reveal a significant skew towards women bearing the majority of the caregiving and household duties, nearly double that of men, despite working similar hours."
The survey also shed light on the ongoing impact of gender norms on workplace attitudes and family-friendly policies. Nearly half (48%) of men took less than one month of parental leave for their last child, while almost all women (91%) took more than four months. The primary reason cited by men for shorter leave was ineligibility based on employer policies. Further, 41% of parents who took paid parental leave said it was too short and two-thirds of those indicated financial reasons for why they couldn’t take longer.
"It is worth acknowledging the recent progress from the Commonwealth government expanding paid parental leave from 20 to 26 weeks by 2026, with super, which is a huge win for children, parents, and families,” Dent said. “But when you consider that on average, families in the OECD have access to more than 50 weeks of paid leave, it’s clear we still have a long way to go. Creating policy - and shifting attitudes - to ensure mums and dads in Australia have the opportunity to access extended paid parental leave is critical."
“Totally affordable quality early childhood education and care is another part of the challenge. Every child - regardless of their postcode or their family's socioeconomic status - should have access to quality, inclusive early childhood education and care.”
"These policy changes are crucial infrastructure that will help working parents achieve a sustainable balance between work and care. Through decent and equitable paid parental leave, affordable quality early childhood education and truly supportive workplace practices, we can help ensure that parents and carers have the time and resources they need to care for their families while also being able to meet the cost of living and progress their careers - without it costing their emotional, physical or mental health.”
“This will immeasurably improve the wellbeing of parents, children and families while also contributing to a more productive and satisfied workforce,” Dent concluded.
You can find the report here.
