Parenting support in the workplace

Over the past 40 years, societal and economic changes in developed nations have led to an increase in dual-earning families and the decline of stay-at-home parents (Australian Government, Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2010). In Australia, 65% of mothers and 90% of fathers with children under the age of 18 are employed in some capacity (Baxter, 2013). Similar rates are found in the United States, with 70% of mothers and 93% of fathers seeking work or working (United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016), and in Europe (Miani & Hoorens, 2014). Concomitant with these changes have been dramatic changes in working hours and technology that make the boundaries between work and family life more permeable. The development of the smartphone and high-speed Internet has led, in part, to employees doing more work from home or outside traditional working hours. For example, 44% of employed persons in Australia use the Internet to work from home (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016), which can take time away from family interactions, increase work and family conflict, and decrease levels of well-being (Boswell & Olson-Buchanan, 2007; Chesley, 2005; Park, Fritz, & Jex, 2011). Changes in working hours mean that for many the workday is no longer limited from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or to the traditional workweek. Instead, employees are expected to work a range of hours, with as many as 35% working on weekends (United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016). These changes mean that employees need to balance competing work and life commitments more than ever before (e.g., playing a sport, caring for parents, spending time with friends). For parents of dependent children, it can be extra difficult to juggle incompatible work and life commitments with parenting responsibilities (Michel, Kotrba, Mitchelson, Clark, & Baltes, 2011), and 90% of parents report trying to balance work and family is stressful (see Box 23.1; Sanders, Haslam, Calam, & Southwell, 2010)