.Jess_Irvine: Many Australian couples have fallen back on traditional roles during this pandemic about how best to divide paid and unpaid work
COVID lockdowns have exposed the gender fault lines that still run deeply through Australian families. Maybe dad’s set up his home office in the spare bedroom, while mum works at the kitchen table near the kids.
Without explicitly discussing it – or sometimes even realising it – many Australian couples have fallen back on traditional tropes during this pandemic about how best to divide paid and unpaid work. Their report calls for a complete overhaul of parental leave, boosting the maximum available to 26 weeks from the current 20 weeks. Leave should be split into six weeks of “use it or lose it” leave for each parent, plus 12 weeks to share between them. Couples where both parents opt to use up their full six weeks should be granted an additional two-week bonus leave.
Of course, financial necessity will keep many mums working, particularly at the lower end of the income distribution. But in marriages that end up in divorce, the financial consequences can be dire for women. Of course, divorce settlements seek to factor in the relative contributions from partners in both paid and unpaid work to arrive at an equitable division of financial assets.But human capital is often the biggest asset we own. Our ability to generate income from our skills and know-how is an important contributor to living standards pre and post-retirement. And that can be harder to quantify.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Welfare advocates warn of domestic violence victims being saddled with debtsWelfare rights advocates say there is little legal recourse for victims to waive debts because, under the law, both people in a couple are responsible for the information given to Services Australia even in cases where there is violence or abuse. ...
Read more »
Music students keep their rhythm despite the unsteady beat of lockdownRingwood Secondary College’s many music ensembles must meet online to play together during lockdowns, but playing when schools are open brings its own challenges. lockdown
Read more »
'Some men think they own women,' Prime Minister tells women's summitScott Morrison concedes Australia 'has a problem' with the way it treats women, on the first day of the National Women's Safety Summit.
Read more »
Migrant and refugee women can’t be an 'afterthought' in national action plan on domestic violence, summit toldHuman rights advocate Nyadol Nyuon says in shaping a national response to domestic violence, we must understand the challenges migrant and refugee women face in an Australian context.
Read more »
Migrant and refugee women can’t be an 'afterthought' in national action plan on domestic violenceThe National Summit on Women's Safety has been told the complex experiences of migrant and refugee women need to be better understood in the nation's response to domestic violence.
Read more »
How American underdog made Barty crumbleThe world No. 1️⃣ has crashed out! 😳🎾 9WWOS USOpen
Read more »