Balancing work and
family responsibilities
in New Zealand
Associate Professor
Annick Masselot
Hornby Rotary Club - 26 November 2014
“a strong reputation on gender
equality”
New Zealand’s proud record in
women’s equality
Labour force
participation
Female
Male
63.7%
74.9%
Unemployment 6.4%
rate
64% of university
graduates are
Total fertility rate:
women
2.05 in 2012
5.6%
Source: Household Labour Force Survey: March 2014
Yet...
 Segregated employment sectors
The domestic distribution of tasks is still
influenced by gender roles
 Low female employment rate with
children under school age
Maori and Pacific ethnic groups combine
high fertility rates with much lower female
employment rates
35% More
than 1/3 of
women work
part-time.
14.75% The
percentage of
women
directors on
the NZX top
100 listed
companies.
Why should we care about
work-life balance?
 Gender equality
 Economic concerns
 Demographic issues
 Fight against poverty
 Individual wellbeing
 Real choices for individuals
Reconciliation: legal concept
The Leave
Provisions
The Time
Provisions
The Care
Strategy
to grant time off to to alter working
parents to spend
patterns
time with children
to provide care
whilst the carer is
at work
•maternity leave
•paternity leave
•parental leave
•leave for family
reasons (time off for
family related reasons)
• child care
• elderly care
• part-time
• fixed term
• tele-working
time
Leave
care
children
adults
Paid work, unpaid work and
personal time
NZ unique motivations
NZ Work-Life Balance is NOT about gender equality or family health
Retention of skilled workers
Contribution to sustainable workplace
management
Flexibility
Legal provisions
Leave provisions
The (paid) Parental
Leave and
Employment
Protection Act 1987
The (unpaid)
Employment Relations
(Breaks, Infant
Feeding, and Other
Matters) Amendment
Act 2008
Time provisions
The Employment
Relations (Flexible
Working
Arrangements)
Amendments Act
2007
Care
Working for Families
Package 2004
Government funds
the cost of children
aged 3, 4 and 5 to
attend early
childhood education
for up to 20 h/week.
Parental Leave and
Employment
Protection Act 1987
MOTHER in employment
FATHER /PARTNER in
for the immediate preceding
12 months
employment for the
immediate preceding 12
months
• 10 days antenatal care
• 14 weeks governmentfunded and job-protected
paid maternity leave if
eligible
• Up to 52 weeks of jobprotected unpaid
extended parental leave
• 2 weeks unpaid paternity
leave if mother is eligible
• Mother can transfer 14
weeks paid parental leave
to father/partner
• Entitled to share the
remaining 52 weeks unpaid
parental leave
Flexible Working Arrangements
Right to request flexible working hours: Employment Relations
(Flexible Working Arrangements) Amendments Act 2007
The request:
- For care
- Open to employee in stable employment
- restriction on the frequency of the request
The employer’s obligation:
- to consider the demands seriously
- in a timely fashion
Working for Families package
Tax Credits:
• family tax credit
• in-work tax credit
• minimum family tax credit
• parental tax credit
Accommodation supplement
Subsidies for pre-school and out-of-school care
Where to from here?
Of raising pigs and children in New Zealand…
More v. Less rights
Production v. Reproduction?
What is the role of the law?
Thank you
For further comments:
annick.masselot@canterbury.ac.nz