Essay about Maternity Leave in Australia - 524 Words

Maternity Leave in Australia Maternity leave allows women to take leave of absence from their job to give birth and care for their children. The International Labor Organisation sets minimum standards for maternity leave. These include a right to 12 weeks paid maternity leave and prohibition against dismissal during maternity leave. Although a member of the ILO, Australia has never ratified its convention concerning maternity protection ---- we have no standard maternity leave provisions. Australian law entitles women to 12 months unpaid leave and for more than 25 years the Commonwealth Employees Act has entitled Commonwealth employees to paid maternity leave. About two-thirds of women in the†¦show more content†¦Of industrialised nations, it is the Scandinavian countries that set the pace. In Norway, for example, women are entitled to a years maternity leave on full pay, two years unpaid leave and the right to part-time employment while their children are young. Supporters of more comprehensive paid maternity leave say motherhood means a substantial loss of earnings, demotion and insecurity in the workplace for many women. Providing financial and job security for women as well as helping businesses retain skilled employees makes good financial sense. They point out that it is only a privileged few who receive paid leave, and these are usually women on higher incomes. There are also those who point to paid maternity leave as a way of dealing with concerns about the ageing of the Australian population and declining birth rate. Demographer Professor Peter McDonald claims that Australia cannot afford to continue with its system of unpaid leave if it wants to encourage the birth rate, which is presently below replacement levels. Striking a balance between affordable policies and meeting the needs of families is challenging. Many agree that it is unfair for business alone to be expected to shoulder the burden of paid leave. Australian Democrats leader Senator Natasha Stott Despoja has suggested that consideration be given to alternatives to the existing employer-pays system. She advocatesShow MoreRelatedPaid Maternity Leave1579 Words   |  7 PagesQuestion: Australia has to date not legislated for paid maternity leave, unlike most other countries. Assess who should take responsibility for paid maternity leave. Explain the reasons for your response. Paid maternity leave is defined as income replacement to compensate for the leave from paid employment necessary around child-birth (Baird, 2002a:2). In the developed world today, many western countries have designed a legislated for paid maternity leave such as Sweden, Germany, United KingdomRead MoreBenefits Of A Paid Maternity Leave876 Words   |  4 PagesPaid maternity leave is a specific period of time allotted by one’s employer in which a woman is able to be on paid leave after having a child. 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It’s a revolution that includes women and men who who wish the world to be equal without boundaries. The evolution of the rights of women in Australia owes much to successive waves of feminism, or the women s movement. The first of these took place in the late 19th century and was concerned largely with gaining the right to vote and to stand for election into parliament. The second wave of feminism