Involved fatherhood: does it help a mother's work-family stress?

Abstract

The last few decades have seen an increase in women's workforce participation such that there are now more Australian women participating in paid work than ever before. Moreover, men are now working more paid hours than in the past. The wellbeing of family members is likely to have been significantly affected by these changes, and this raises the question of how fathers and mothers with young children in Australia are coping. This paper is specifically interested in father's involvement with child caring and whether this is related to mothers' work and wellbeing. The paper will investigate the impact of a range of factors on mother's work including return to work after child-birth and mother's perception of relationship satisfaction and work-life balance. The study will use data from families with 'intact' couples in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). Due to the nature of the research questions, and the need to gather information about family and work factors from the time of the birth of the child, only data from the infant cohort will be used. This preliminary analysis is intended to stimulate discussion on involved fatherhood, and assist in identifying policies that could assist women to participate more fully in the work force, while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.