Orientations to Paid Maternity Leave: Understanding the Australian Debate  

Oleh:

Baird, Marian

Jenis: Article from Journal - e-Journal
Dalam koleksi: Journal of Industrial Relations vol. 46 no. 3 (Sep. 2004), page 259–273.
Fulltext: 259.pdf (130.93KB)

Isi artikel

Despite the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission’s recommendation in December 2002 for a national paid maternity leave scheme for Australia, no such scheme has yet been introduced and the concept remains contested socially, politically and industrially. The paper suggests that the explanation for this confusion and contestation may be understood in terms of the various orientations to paid maternity leave in current Australian debates. As a way of understanding the policy paralysis more clearly, the paper proposes a typology of these orientations to paid maternity leave. This typology shows that each of the existing orientations hinders the introduction of universal access to paid maternity leave for Australian working women. In order to change this and to constructively progress policy development, it is argued that a new policy orientation based on ‘social feminism’ and a ‘new equity’ is required. Unlike other orientations, this one recognises equality and difference and places the rights and needs of working women at its core.

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