Mark Western

Australian politicians’ beliefs about climate change: political partisanship and political ideology

Despite the scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change and its implications, there is considerably less certainty or strength of belief among the general public in some industrialised countries. One explanation for the lack of consensus is the partisan nature of political debate about climate change. A survey of Australian politicians demonstrates that political party affiliation and ideology have a powerful influence on climate change beliefs. Politicians from Labor and Green parties (centre-left and progressive parties) exhibited beliefs that were more consistent with scientific consensus about climate change than non-aligned or conservative leaders. Moreover, political ideology (left–right) emerged as the most important predictor of politicians’ climate change beliefs. These findings highlight the role of political partisanship and ideology in undermining consensus around climate change and suggest the need to build consensus through constructing climate change messages that appeal to closely held values and which advance the discussion of solutions along non-partisan lines.

The effects of non-standard employment on work—family conflict

Over the last five decades the Australian labour market has changed profoundly, one prominent aspect being an increase in non-standard forms of employment. Using data from the first wave of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia project, this article explores whether non-standard employment is associated with greater or reduced work—family conflict among employed parents and whether experiences vary by gender. We focus on three types of non-standard employment: part-time hours, casual and fixed-term contracts and non-standard scheduling practices. Regression analyses show that mothers who work full-time rather than part-time experience significantly greater work—family conflict. Casual employment is not linked to a reduction in work—family conflict for either mothers or fathers once we control for working hours. Even though mothers are the primary carer in most families, mothers do not report greater work—family conflict than fathers. We attribute this finding to gender differences in the time spent in employment.

The Permeability of Class Boundaries to Intergenerational Mobility Among Men in the United States, Canada, Norway and Sweden

We explore the differential permeability of three class boundaries-the boundaries determined by property, authority and expertise-to intergenerational mobility among men in four developed capitalist economies: the United States, Canada, Norway and Sweden. We conclude: (1) In all four countries, the authority boundary is the most permeable to intergenerational mobility; (2) in the two North American countries, the patterns of permeability of class boundaries are broadly consistent with the expectations of neo-Marxist conceptualizations of class-the property boundary is the least permeable, followed by the expertise boundary, and then the authority boundary; (3) in the two Scandinavian countries, especially in Sweden, the property and expertise boundaries do not differ significantly in their degree of permeability; (4) the class boundary between workers and capitalists is less permeable than would be predicted from a strictly additive model of the permeability of the three dimensions of the class structure (property + authority + expertise); and (5) in the United States and Canada, the patterns of class boundary permeability to mobility are similar to the patterns of permeability to friendship and crossclass marriages, while mobility patterns in Norway and Sweden differ from friendship

Who Uses Paid Domestic Labor in Australia? Choice and Constraint in Hiring Household Help

Abstract This paper investigates why some Australian households use paid help with domestic labor while others do not. Consistent with earlier studies, the analysis examines hypotheses relating to resources, objective demand, and gender attitudes. Additionally, this paper examines the impact of attitudes toward using paid domestic labor, an area that has not been investigated previously. The findings suggest that resources and objective demand provide the parameters within which employing household help is made possible or necessary, but beliefs about the appropriateness of this strategy also play a role in determining whether Australian households use paid domestic labor. The paper concludes that understanding whether Australian households pay for domestic help is dependent not just on the level of resources and objective demand but also on whether individuals view paid domestic help as an appropriate strategy for undertaking domestic work.

Social class and social identity: A comment on Marshall et.al

The continuing persistence of strong class identification is one of the findings highlighted by Marshall, Rose, Vogler and Newby in their recent (1988) enquiry into class processes in Britain. In this comment we examine critically the methodological techniques deployed by them in the elicitation of this information. We argue that the finding is questionable and the conclusions drawn from it are unwarranted. Data from our own survey of class processes in Australia suggests, in contrast, that the discursive salience of class for identity is almost minimal.

Marriage Breakdown in Australia: The Social Correlates of Separation and Divorce

Marriage breakdown through separation and divorce is a pervasive feature of Australian society. But little research investigates the social factors associated with marital breakdown in Australia. This study builds on and extends Australian research by using survival analysis models to examine patterns of association among temporal, life-course, attitudinal and economic factors associated with marital breakdown. Using data from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, we find marital breakdown in Australia is socially patterned in similar ways to other Western countries. But our findings point to several directions for future research into marriage breakdown in Australia, and we identify certain unique features of Australian marriage breakdown that warrant a more detailed investigation, such as the relationship between ethnic origin and the risk of marital breakdown.

Neoliberalism, gender inequality and the Australian labour market

Over the past 25 years neoliberal philosophies have increasingly informed labour market policies in Australia that have led to increasing levels of wage decentralization. The most recent industrial relations changes aim to decentralize wage setting significantly further than has previously been the case. We argue that this is problematic for gender equity as wage decentralization will entrench rather than challenge the undervaluation of feminized work. In this article we provide an overview of key neoliberal industrial relations policy changes pertinent to gender equity and examine the current state of gender equity in the labour market. Results show that womens labour force participation has steadily increased over time but that a number of negative trends exclude women with substantial caring responsibilities from pursuing a career track. The implications of increasing levels of wage deregulation are that gender wage inequality and the potential for discrimination will grow.

Socio-structural correlates of online news and information adoption/use: Implications for the digital divide

Using data from a national survey of 4270 Australians conducted in late 2003, this article merges the structural approach to media audience formation with innovation diffusion theory to explore major socio-structural factors influencing the adoption of online news and information. It finds that more internet accessibility, traditional news and information usage, and privileged socio-economic profiles are strong predictors of online news and information adoption.

Reconfigurations of class and gender

List of tables and figures Acknowledgments 1. Introduction Mark Western and Janeen Baxter 2. Foundations of class analysis: a marxist perspective Erik Olin Wright 3. A conceptual menu for studying the interconnections of class and gender Erik Olin Wright 4. The gendered restructuring of the middle classes Rosemary Crompton 5. Who works? comparing labor market practices Wallace Clement 6. The links between paid and unpaid work: Australia and Sweden in the 1980s and 1990s Mark Western and Janeen Baxter 7. Employment flexibility in the United States: changing and maintaining gender, class, and ethnic work relationships Rachel A. Rosenfeld 8. Gender and access to money: what do trends in earnings and household poverty tell us? Paula England 9. Women and the union democracy - welcome as members but not as leaders? a study of the Scandinavian confederation of labor Gunn Elisabeth Birkelund and Siv Overad Notes References Index.

Family, work and health - The impact of marriage, parenthood and employment on self-reported health of Australian men and women

We investigate multiple-burden and multiple-attachment hypotheses for the association among marriage, parenthood, employment and health for Australian men and women. Using longitudinal data from the Australian panel survey, ‘Negotiating the Lifecourse’, we find that men and women employed full time report better health than those employed part time or not employed. Previously married women report worse health than married women, but there is no association between marital status and health for men. We also find that men with preschool children in the household report worse health than men with older children, whereas women with preschool children report better health than women with older children. In addition for women we find evidence of a role-burden where combining full-time employment and children has a negative impact on health, but combining children with part-time or no employment has a beneficial health effect. There are no health effects of combining roles for men.