The next generation: Children and young adults on work, family and choice Work, Families and Wellbeing Forum, 4-5 May 2006, Old Canberra House, Acton, ACT Barbara Pocock Centre for Work and Life University of South Australia

Young Australians at work nIncreasing appetite for paid work (and commodified consumption) nLikely to experience continuing shift to services sector nIncreasing hours for full-timers? nMore unsocial working time? nIncreased traveling time? nIncreasing work intensity nIncreasing part-time work: the work/family mechanism of choice for women… n…With its unique Australian characteristics nLess common family time

Inequality through work   Widening inequality between the top and the bottom of the labour market Australia: executives earned 18 x average pay 2005: 63 times UK: in 1979 executives earned 10 times the pay of typical British workers. By 2002, 54 times US: in 1980 executives earned 50 times and by 2002, 281 times   The social costs of inequality are not visited only on the bottom…   A rising plane of prosperity built upon a growing body of low paid services sector work…?   Widening inequality in work/family outcomes/facilities - eg paid maternity leave?

Young Australians at home nContinued contraction in those at home caring nContraction in traditional ‘male breadwinner/female carer’ nGrowth in sole parent nGrowth in blended families nGrowth in number of transitions into and out of work and between jobs over life-cycle nFalling birthrate - 25% of young Australians now unlikely to have kids. nNo great compensating rush of men out of jobs to home while partner works (less than 3 per cent) nOr into housework?

What do young people think?  21 focus groups year olds, year olds  Kids are pragmatic and optimistic  They know why parents work  But if there is enough ‘basic money’, they prefer more time over more money from parental earnings  Long or unsocial parental hours drive a strong preference for more time  Parent-specific ‘time hunger’: one parent at home, doesn’t make up for the one who is absent a lot  Kids notice and are affected  They say they will won’t work like that…

Young People’s Plans…  They expect to have paid jobs  Many want to have fun doing them…  Most expect to have kids  Dual-earner couple households will increase  Most expect to share care of kids  But men will fit kids around work…  While women more likely to fit work around kids

Plans for work and care  Most want to share care  However, similar proportion of young men want their partners to care for their kids  Not matched by young women’s preferences  But more expect to fit it intermittently around their jobs and share it with others  Familial care is most favoured, over external care  A lot of reliance upon their own mothers

Future household types?  Continuing growth in dual earner households  Continuing decline in male breadwinner  Dual earner and sole-parent households feel the work/life/care pressures most intensely - so likely to be more widespread in the next generation  A gendered mismatch on male breadwinner household types?  How will this be settled? Whose preferences will prevail?

Housework  Over half of all want to see it shared  More women than men - And not always 50/50  Nearly half young men want to share but many think their wives will be doing it Gender mismatch on ‘my wife will do it’Gender mismatch on ‘my wife will do it’  Many young men are open ‘minimisers’: Either I suggest my wife is a good cleaner and does all that, or she hires a cleaner, because I’m not doing anything. (Smithy, 17, Leafy High)Either I suggest my wife is a good cleaner and does all that, or she hires a cleaner, because I’m not doing anything. (Smithy, 17, Leafy High)  Male resistance to sharing obvious to young women  Young women’s brothers and peers already actively minimise, and they see their mothers struggling with it

 These young women will continue their mothers’ ‘turn to the market’: women in lower and higher income areas planning to use cleaners and help  They have plans to deal with this: Anger, persuasion, education, bribing, blackmail Anger, persuasion, education, bribing, blackmail  A gender struggle over housework far from over  Both sexes have considered tactics - minimise after you have been married a while (male) minimise after you have been married a while (male) threaten to divorce them if they don’t help (female) threaten to divorce them if they don’t help (female)

IR regime and ‘choice’  Reforms to accommodate the new worker and family, and their choices, are long overdue  But ‘Workchoices’ does not deliver Minimal conditions underpinning agreements, AWAs Minimal conditions underpinning agreements, AWAs More scope for ‘take it or leave it’ individual agreements More scope for ‘take it or leave it’ individual agreements Stripped back awards - weaker industry standards Stripped back awards - weaker industry standards Weaker worker say over working time Weaker worker say over working time Slower, smaller minimum wage increases? Slower, smaller minimum wage increases? Weak unfair dismissal procedures Weak unfair dismissal procedures Fewer work/family supports (eg lost right to request to work part-time, or to request longer unpaid maternity leave) Fewer work/family supports (eg lost right to request to work part-time, or to request longer unpaid maternity leave)

Overall implications?  A fertility gap exists between youthful preferences and predicted fertility outcomes  Finances and job security are prominent sources of uncertainty around family formation  Both sexes expect work, and most to have kids  The male breadwinner is likely to continue his long term decline  No sign of a ‘new Australian wife’ living in happy dependence on men  While the busy dual earner household is likely to continue its rise…  …Fueling a more widespread work/care/life collision

 Men seem as equally ‘care-centred’ as young women  But their plans are more contingent  A cascade of care to women as default carers, more than they plan and expect  Implications for childcare demand?  And for the institutions of work  Optimistic hope that housework is briskly moving to a fair allocation between the sexes is misplaced  Young women have much work ahead in moving the masculinist culture that sees this as their lot.

Young Australians and work/life choices  Remaking the terms of work? And life? Its all choice and preferences - in public policy discourse Its all choice and preferences - in public policy discourse New IR environment lowers the safety net, puts more reliance upon individual and their private saving/borrowing New IR environment lowers the safety net, puts more reliance upon individual and their private saving/borrowing Young people have internalised the responsibility that it is ‘their choice’ Young people have internalised the responsibility that it is ‘their choice’ But uncomfortable fit with internalised notions of maternal (and grand-maternal) childcare But uncomfortable fit with internalised notions of maternal (and grand-maternal) childcare And ‘choice’ is increasingly commodified - dependent upon earning and buying And ‘choice’ is increasingly commodified - dependent upon earning and buying

Young Australians and work/life choices  Giroux: ‘the swindle of agency’ Not all socio-economic types exercise the same choice and agency Not all socio-economic types exercise the same choice and agency Becks’ individualisation thesis and ‘risk biography’ denied by material reality of lack of choice for many Becks’ individualisation thesis and ‘risk biography’ denied by material reality of lack of choice for many And lower protective minima, harsher work terms And lower protective minima, harsher work terms The scope of choice remains highly gendered The scope of choice remains highly gendered And skewed in socio-economic terms. And skewed in socio-economic terms.