Are working women returning after parental leave?

Organisations are starting to ask themselves the question: why aren’t our women workers coming back after their parental leave?

Parental leave is an exciting, emotional, and often turbulent time for Aussie workers and can often be a duration that can stump the career progression of women workers, and for no fault of their own.

There’s been a large amount of research on the fact that women workers who go on parental leave for an amount of time often don’t return to the workplace or will come back for a short duration but then leave shortly after.

This was evident in a report conducted in India, published by Ashoka University, which revealed that 73 per cent of women exit their jobs after childbirth and struggle to rejoin the workforce. Among those who manage to return to work, there is a 48 per cent drop-out rate within four months of reintegration.

That reintegration period can be the toughest period for women workers and working parents in general. It’s a constant juggling act of both raising a young child and rejoining the workforce, which can be a tall task, especially considering that working parents oftentimes do not get adequate sleep.

With this comes childcare costs and so many other little intricate details that can overflow one’s sanity along with having to balance a full-time job.

Now, as the structural changes of the working landscape across Australia continue to keep adapting, it creates an awkward spot for women workers. In particular, a recent WGEA report has highlighted the sharp decline in part-time work, which can offer women workers a perfect median of being able to still earn income yet not have to commit to egregious hours, which makes that balance impossible.

With this decrease in part-time work becoming an alarming trend, it makes that situation of going back into the workforce much harder for women workers. As retention continues to be a tough endeavour for Australian organisations, employers must lay down a functional pathway that offers the needed flexibility for women workers to return to the workforce when they are ready.

Co-author of the Gender Equity Insights Series from the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) and WGEA, Dr Silvia Salazar, echoed this sentiment and believes employers must implement such policies that can allow for that flexible work.

“The report shows that part-time work for women is less common in larger, male-dominated companies, but having women on company boards significantly increases part-time opportunities,” said Salazar.

“Implementing policies on flexible work and conducting pay gap audits are crucial for promoting flexible work arrangements and advancing pay equity, particularly for female managers.”

“As part-time work decreases, more people prefer additional flexible work options. This trend presents an opportunity for employers to make these arrangements standard without harming employee experiences.”

Making these arrangements and policies will ensure that employers retain women workers and will also ensure that their workforce is diverse going forward. Instead of neglecting this process, employers need to get in front of it and have plans in place that can assist their employees through it. It also ties in to a gender-equitable workplace, which is what all employers should already be striving for.

“The move away from part-time work is particularly evident among non-managers across various industry sectors, so businesses must not focus solely on gender equity for managers and senior executives at the expense of non-managerial roles,” said Salazar.

“Ensuring gender equity across all levels of the workforce is essential to achieving meaningful and sustainable progress in workplace equality.”