Work & Family

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The Parental Leave in Australia Survey

Recently released survey data sheds new light on the experiences of mothers and fathers of young children and the policies they use to assist in combining paid employment with parenthood.

The Parental Leave in Australia Survey, designed by researchers from the University of Queensland and University of Sydney, was conducted in 2005 as part of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Based on over 3,500 responses from families with babies born between March 2003 and February 2004, the survey provides comprehensive information on parents' experiences in the lead up to, and following, the birth of a child.

It is the first Australian survey to collect this kind of information from a sample of parents of young children participating in a longitudinal study.

This research has been funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) and five industry partners (Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission; New South Wales Office of Industrial Relations; Queensland Department of Employment and Industrial Relations; New South Wales Office for Women; Women's Electoral Lobby) through ARC Linkage project LP0453613 (Chief Investigators - Gillian Whitehouse, University of Queensland and Marian Baird, University of Sydney; Postdoctoral Fellow - Chris Diamond, University of Queensland).