The University of South Australia has published the 2012 edition of the annual Australian and Life Index, concluding that work-life balance for most Australians have not improved over the past five years.

 

The report found that increased intensity of work demands and worsening of work-life outcomes for full-time working women were among the main contributors to the worsening results of the survey, in which a quarter of respondents said that work interfered with other life activities.

 

The 2012 edition surveyed almost 3,000 working Australians and is the fifth such survey undertaken by the university’s Centre for Work + Life.

 

The report reveals:

  • How women who work full-time are experiencing worsening work-life outcomes
  • Many employees are experiencing high levels of work intensification
  • The impact of the Fair Work Act 2009 when it comes to requesting flexibility at work
  • How the length of parental leave, and how working from home, affects work life outcomes.

 

 

Centre Director Professor Barbara Pocock says since the publication of the first AWALI report in 2007, the global financial crisis and the continuing instability of financial markets has influenced Australians’ work and family lives.

 

“Amidst all this change, work-life interference has remained widespread and persistent since 2007. It particularly affects those who work long hours, and things have become worse for women working full time.”

 

Full-time women’s dissatisfaction with their work life balance has almost doubled (from 15.9 per cent in 2008 to 27.5 per cent in 2012) while men report little change.

 

The survey also indicates that the “struggle to juggle” work with parenthood is persistent, with 41 per cent of mothers in full-time employment saying they would prefer to work part time – the largest proportion since 2007.

 

Professor Pocock suggests that improving work life outcomes would require both policy change and a cultural shift in the workplace.

 

“Policy changes like paid parental leave and more flexibility at work clearly help workers reconcile work with the rest of their lives. However, more is needed given that there has been little positive change in Australians’ work-life outcomes on average over the past five years,” she says.

 

The full report can be found here

http://w3.unisa.edu.au/hawkeinstitute/cwl/projects/awali.asp