Female leadership and welfare state reform

The development of Australia’s first national paid parental leave scheme

Bibliographic Data

ID6234498
AuthorsLucie Newsome (0000-0002-3996-3483, University of New England, Business School, Armidale, Australia, corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume52
Issue4
Pages537-549
Publication date2017-10-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAustralian Journal of Political Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1036-1146 • E-ISSN: 1363-030X
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10361146.2017.1359490
OpenAlexW2743856676
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited41

The Howard Government’s commitment to supporting the male breadwinner policy model was a major barrier to the efforts of female political leaders to influence the development of a national paid parental leave scheme. Associated with this model was the argument that paid parental leave ‘discriminated’ against non-working women and devalued their contribution to society as mothers. Despite a change of government in 2007 this argument remained influential through the Productivity Commission’s Inquiry into Paid Maternity, Paternity and Parental Leave (2009). Key to the eventual legislation of the scheme in 2010 was female leaders’ strategy of aligning with, rather than disrupting, this narrative. As such, women in trade unions, political parties, women’s groups and the bureaucracy framed paid parental leave as supporting women in their maternal roles as it allowed them the financial breathing room to stay at home for longer with their newborn

Parental leave · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Scheme (mathematics · Sociology · State (computer science · Welfare · Welfare reform · Welfare state · Work (physics · Engineering · Law · Public Administration · Social Policy and Reform Studies · Work-Family Balance Challenges · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics

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