General

Women

Workchoices hurts women more

A new report (link and executive summary below) has found women in low-paid jobs are even worse off under the Federal Government's WorkChoices legislation.

The study, based on in-depth interviews, was written by the University of Sydney's Associate Professor Marian Baird and Dr Rae Cooper.

It describes how low paid pwomen whose wages and conditions were previously guaranteed by the award system have suffered pay cuts, work intensification, job insecurity and frequent abuses of managerial power.

As a result many feel powerless and fearful, have less money for their children and household spending and were becoming more dependent on their male partners and welfare.

Shortcut: http://www.workandfamily.nsw.gov.au/resources/women_and_work_choices_report_2007.pdf

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND FINDINGS

"The report presents the experiences and views of twenty five women in low paid work who have been affected by Work Choices. Much of the public debate about Work Choices has focussed upon very specific industries, labour markets, occupations and localities, but for the most part this debate has excluded the workers and sectors most exposed to changes in regulation and the lowering of standards. Women in low paid sectors of the labour market, whose pay and conditions were previously determined by the former award system, are among the most vulnerable to the changes introduced by Work Choices.

This research presented here takes a different approach to a quantitative analysis of gender, work and employment conditions and complements the research undertaken in the Women's Pay and Conditions in an Era of Changing Workplace regulations: Towards a "Women's Employment Status Key Indicators" (WESKI) Database report (WISER 2006). Research of a qualitative nature allows the women's stories to be told. Their voices speak of the lived experience of work and change at work since Work Choices. The narratives of these women go beyond statistics. Their voices demonstrate the full, felt impact of Work Choices in the workplace and beyond - in homes, families and communities.

Our research finds that several and significant changes have occurred in the workplaces of these women and in their employment relationships. For the most part, these changes have been negative and deleterious, reducing decency and democracy at work and in society. These changes have included reductions in pay for already low paid workers, less certainty about wage rates and pay rises, intensification of work, weakening of job security, less financial independence, less money for children and basic household costs, less representation and say at work and in the community, and poorer health and wellbeing. All of these outcomes weaken the capacity of these women to participate in the workforce and in their communities.

This is not their choice and it is not a desirable outcome for society at large."

© 2001 Community & Public Sector Union - State Public Services Federation (CPSU-SPSF) - National Office

http://www.cpsu-spsf.asn.au/latest_news/general/20070801_women.html
Last Modified: 01 Aug 2007