Why fathers’ care matters: Enabling gender equity in care and work
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Fathers’ participation in caring for young children provides life-long opportunities for fathers, their partners and children. However, there continue to be entrenched social and structural barriers to fathers’ equal participation in care (e.g. only 2% of Australian fathers access government paid parental leave as a primary-carer).
The goal of this forum is to share our knowledge of why fathers’ care matters and what barriers prevent fathers from successfully combining work with care. The forum will include presentations from leading researchers (Professor Lyndall Strazdins (The ANU), A/Professor Richard Fletcher (University of Newcastle), Dr Jenny Baxter (Australian Institute of Family Studies), and Professor Jan Nicholson (La Trobe University). There will be a panel discussion with policy and industry experts - led by Parents at Work CEO Emma Walsh, with representatives from Westpac, the Workplace Gender Equity Agency, Deloitte, and The Department of Social Services, as well as engaging perspectives from fathers. We aim to set a clear research agenda for the next 5-10 years to take this issue forward. We welcome input from policy makers, industry experts, researchers, and parents from the general community to identify barriers to change and to generate a range of possible solutions.
Industry and Policy panel discussion:
Fathers' Perspectives panel discussion:
Please contact Lou Farrer on Louise.Farrer@anu.edu.au for further enquiries.
This forum is proudly brought to you by the Gender Institute and the Judith Lumley Centre (La Trobe University).