November 2005

 

 

Regardless of gender, age or ethnicity, New Zealand parents are crying out for flexible working hours. A total of 4,475 New Zealand parents (including over 1,000 men) answered the EEO Trust’s recent Parenting and Paid Work survey. This is nearly four times the usual response rate to the EEO Trust’s on-line surveys. Over 90% of parents (both women and men) said that flexible start and finish times were important or very important in helping them undertake paid work. 

 

Similarly, 90% of men also considered the ability to occasionally change working hours, was important or very important to helping parents work – slightly less than women, but still clearly a substantial vote of confidence for flexible work. “This is not rocket science but the survey confirms what a huge difference flexibility can make to people’s lives in dealing with parenting responsibilities and work,” said EEO Trust CEO Dr Philippa Reed.

 

There were some marked gender differences however. Men were less likely than women to say that childcare played an important role in supporting participation in paid work. 69% of men compared with 88% of women thought good childcare was important or very important in helping parents undertake paid work. 

 

More than half of fathers answering the survey had taken parental leave, mostly for less than three months, and had mainly returned to their same job after their leave. Women tended to take longer leave, returned to part-time rather than full-time work, and 20% of them returned to a lower level job. The EEO Trust highlighted this sample response: “I know of so many talented women with special skills to a particular job that are being denied the chance to go back to work part-time because the employer is forcing them to either come back full-time or quit.”

 

Gradual return from parental leave was the most important way workplaces could help people return to the workforce after having children.

 

Breastfeeding facilities were seen as important or very important to 60% of women and 51% of men in aiding return to work.

 

Flexible start and finish times, and good childcare were the two most important enablers for people not in paid work to enter the workforce.