Many Gen-X women, a new study has revealed,
blame lack of family-friendly workplace policies for dropping out of the
workforce population.
The study tracked a group of people since they left
school
in 1991, and found that most of the women who ranked their
career
as the highest priority left the workplace due to pressure of
working
long hours and lack of maternity
support.
The University of Melbourne's Life Patterns study - claimed to be
Australia's longest-running
study
of the lives of young people - backs calls by women's groups for
companies and governments to address inequality on the
job
front.
Professor Johanna Wyn said most of the women had believed they would
be able to sustain a family and a career.
"Our young women are encouraged to excel academically but when it's
time to start a family there is very little support from employers,"
News.com.au quoted Wyn as saying.
"Unfortunately our workforce loses huge numbers of talented
individuals," she added.
Wyn also said that Australia's workplace policies had taken their toll
on the health of Generation X, compared with those in a similar
Canadian study.
In a historic move, Australia will soon to have a taxpayer-funded,
18-week paid parental leave scheme.
The scheme will pay either the employed mother or the father the
equivalent of the minimum wage, or about 570 dollars a week, for 18
weeks.
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