Household work for men and women: Implications for future childrearing decisions

This paper explores the impact of childrearing on workforce involvement, workplace benefits and household work at different lifecourse stages. It uses respondent data from a national survey into the negotiation of work and family life. Results show that there is considerable difference in experiences of respondents in childrearing years in comparison to years before having children, and particularly in comparison to people who do not want children. In the context of the low levels of fertility experienced by other countries, the role of social institutional arrangements in Australia is discussed. Implications for policy highlight the need to support participatory fatherhood, together with equity and access policies.