Chris Diamond

FATHERS’ USE OF LEAVE IN AUSTRALIA

This paper examines Australian fathers’ use of leave at the time of the birth of a child, drawing on data from The Parental Leave in Australia Survey, conducted in 2005, and a subsequent organizational case study. Our analysis shows that although most Australian fathers take some leave for parental purposes, use of formally designated paternity or parental leave is limited. This is unsurprising given the Australian policy framework, which lacks legislative provision for paid paternity or parental leave, and does not require any of the shared unpaid parental-leave entitlement to be reserved for fathers. Use of leave is shown to be influenced primarily by fathers’ employment characteristics, with those working in small organizations or non-permanent positions least likely to utilize paternity or other forms of leave. Overall, the analysis suggests that improvements in the policy framework would increase Australian fathers’ propensity to take parental leave, but highlights barriers to usage associated with labour market divisions and career pressures that will not be solved solely by the adoption of more progressive leave policies.

GENDER, COMPUTING AND THE ORGANIZATION OF WORKING TIME: Public/private comparisons in the Australian context

Professional computing employment in Australia, as in most advanced economies, is highly sex segregated, reflecting well-rehearsed ideas regarding the masculinity of technology and computing culture. In this paper we are concerned with the processes of work organization that sustain and reproduce this gendered occupational distribution, focusing in particular on differences and similarities in working-time arrangements between public and private sectors in the Australian context. While information technology companies are often highly competitive workplaces with individualized working arrangements, computing professionals work in a wide range of organizations with different regulatory histories and practices. Our goal is to investigate the implications of these variations for gender equity outcomes, using the public/private divide as indicative of different regulatory frameworks. We draw on Australian census data and a series of organizational case studies to compare working-time arrangements in professional computing employment across sectors, and to examine the various ways employees adapt and respond. Our analysis identifies a stronger ‘long hours culture’ in the private sector, but also underlines the rarity of part-time work in both sectors, and suggests that men and women tend to respond in different ways to these constraints. Although the findings highlight the importance of regulatory frameworks, the organization of working time across sectors appears to be sustaining rather than challenging gender inequalities in computing employment.

Telework: Issues for research, policy and regulation

Abstract Increased access to computer and communications technology in recent years has facilitated the growth of telework, the use of computer and communications technologies to work away from a central location. Heightened interest in telework has been accompanied by the emergence of a diverse array of literature. This review essay examines three books indicative of important streams within this literature: an implementation manual, an edited collection of academic papers, and a European Community research and policy document. The essay identifies several problems and issues. The lack of a commonly accepted definition of telework has reduced the possibilities for meaningful comparisons cross-nationally and between different studies. The strong tendency in much of the literature towards the promotion of telework has also inhibited critical evaluation of the impact of telework, particularly on the labour process and industrial relations. While telework has grown less reliably than much of the literature has predicted, addressing these problems and issues is critical to the development of effective policy and regulatory frameworks.

Gendered dichotomies and segregation patterns in computing jobs in Australia

ABSTRACT The uneven distribution of women and men in IT employment is often depicted as reflecting a distinction between ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ tasks, skills and attributes. This article uses detailed occupational data on professional computing jobs in Australia to examine the extent to which patterns of gender segregation are consistent with such dichotomies. Additionally, we draw on qualitative interview data from a set of organisational case studies for insights into the ways in which segregation patterns are reproduced and/or reshaped at the workplace level. While perceptions of gendered dichotomies were evident among many of our interviewees, overall our analysis shows considerably more complexity, with segregation patterns not necessarily aligned with clear-cut dichotomies and career directions often directly influenced by the organisation of working time in particular occupational streams.

Telework management and work practices: the case of an Australian telecentre

The contemporary practice of employees working from an alternative location using information and communication technologies to maintain links with the usual workplace, termed telework, creates management and work practice challenges. The case of an Australian public sector organizations telecentre highlights such issues and the importance of management to teleworks success. Despite a range of positive outcomes for employees and their employer, such as a better quality of working life, improved work-life balance and the pioneering of innovative and productive work practices, this experiment in post-Fordist flexibility was ultimately defeated by the lack of leadership skill displayed by an influential senior manager.

Telework in Australia: Findings from a National Survey

This chapter is based on research undertaken as part of a larger, on-going project on current trends and problems in the implementation of telework in Australia.2It draws on a national organisational survey which examined the extent and type of teleworking in different industry sectors, and managers’ perceptions about the advantages and problems of this form of work organisation. The goal of the chapter is to provide an overview of the survey fmdings and what they suggest about the prospects for an extension of teleworking in Australia in the near future.