The Struggle of Working Mothers in Australia
Working mothers across Australia are facing a growing challenge that is becoming increasingly difficult to manage. Balancing a full-time career with the demands of parenting in a society that hasn’t evolved to support this dual responsibility is proving to be an overwhelming task. Many women are finding themselves part of what has been dubbed the “burnt-out generation of mums,” struggling to keep up with the pressures of modern life.
Georgie Dent, the chief executive of The Parenthood, has spoken passionately about the need for change in the current system, which she describes as “broken.” As a lawyer turned journalist and best-selling author, Dent is an advocate for parental leave, access to quality early childhood education, and family-friendly workplaces. She highlights how Australian households have changed significantly over the past two decades, yet the systems in place have not kept pace with these changes.
Dent points out that while more parents are now engaged in the paid workforce due to economic necessity, many of the systems—such as schools, workplaces, and early childhood education and care—still reflect outdated assumptions about family roles. This mismatch creates a challenging environment for working parents, especially mothers.
The issue was recently brought to the forefront by a post on the ABC Lifestyle Instagram page, which highlighted the struggle of working mothers. The post, titled “Working mums: The math ain’t mathing,” pointed out that standard school hours in Australia total around six hours a day, while the normal working day is eight to nine hours, without the commute. According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, women make up 38 to 39 per cent of Australia’s full-time workforce, and about 73 per cent of households with children aged 0-14 now have two working parents.
However, the disparity between work hours and school schedules is only one aspect of the problem. Women globally spend 2.5 hours more a day on unpaid work in the home than men, and in Australia, it’s about one hour and 19 minutes a day. This imbalance raises the question of how mothers are managing everything.
The ABC Lifestyle post sparked a wave of responses from women who expressed frustration and exhaustion. Many commented that they were not happy with the focus on “how to juggle” rather than addressing the systemic issues. One commenter wrote, “We aren’t. We are all completely burnt out,” while another said, “We’re not, we have no tips, the system is broken and we’re too exhausted to do the advocacy needed to change the system.”
Dent found the responses heartbreaking, noting that the ferocious reaction reflects the immense burden on working parents, particularly mothers. She emphasized that this is not an individual problem but a structural one that requires systemic solutions. “The Parenthood exists to do the advocacy around the system because we recognise that the system is broken,” she said.
Dent criticized Australia’s paid parental leave policy, which she described as inadequate compared to other developed countries. The Paid Parental Leave (PPL) scheme, introduced in 2011, provides up to 18 weeks’ pay at the national minimum wage. While recent changes will increase entitlements to 26 weeks and include superannuation, Dent believes there is still much to be done.
She also called for high-quality early childhood education and care that is available, affordable, and accessible to all families. “We have got a patchwork early education and care system,” she said, adding that the childcare subsidy has not delivered on its objectives.
Dent hopes that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will follow through on his promise to make universal early childcare education and care a reality. She also believes that utilizing existing school premises for childcare and before and after-school care could help bridge the gap between school and work hours.
In conclusion, the challenges faced by working mothers in Australia highlight the urgent need for systemic change. From parental leave policies to early childhood education, the current systems are not meeting the needs of modern families. It is time for society to catch up and support working parents in a way that allows them to thrive both professionally and personally.
