EOWA's New Criteria for Working Mums

THE Australian Commonwealth Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) has new criteria for its Employer of Choice for Women award. This includes a pay equity gap of less than 17 per cent, a minimum of six weeks paid maternity leave, and at least 27 per cent of the managers being women.

We're getting closer gals - still not equal pay, but closing the gap!

EOWA has for the fifth year running, given the University of Western Sydney its Employer of Choice for Women award. UWS was one of only 99 organisations that met the agency's new criteria.

Go you Universities - no wonder so many working mothers remain in Academia when it's such a supportive environment for women, families and work/life balance!

See full article at
http://penrith.yourguide.com.au/news/local/general/women-at-uws/1213706.html

Major Australian Retailer offers Six weeks Paid Maternity Leave

Australian retail giant, Myer, today announced they were offering six weeks paid maternity leave for fulltime and part-time staff who had been with them for 18 months or longer.

Hooray! Finally a major employer of women has seen the value of offering this benefit to their highly valuable working mothers.

Myer spokesman Greg Travers, says "[It] is an additional benefit that we also think will enhance the return rates of women to employment," he said. "We have a growth portfolio going forward into the future that's going to mean we'll need more people."

This kind of benefit makes it easier to convince working mothers to return and encourages existing staff to stay.

The Federal Minister for the Status of Women, Tanya Plibersek, has supported the Myer initiative. "It's got a very high proportion of female staff and I hope that businesses that haven't already got paid parental leave will think about following suit."

Well done Myer - and we both hope that many more businesses do the same!

Full article see http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/27/2200286.htm?section=australia

What Women Want - a New Political Party for Australia

Well a new breeze (or is that scent?) is blowing through the ranks of the Australian political parties with the establishment of 'What Women Want' - a political party by and for women

http://www.whatwomenwant.org/

Hats off to Justine Cairns for standing for what she believes in - decent maternity care for all Australian women (particularly in rural areas) amongst other issues for women and working mums. Check it out and go Justine in the election today!

Not so super 'Super changes' for Working Mums

The new lauded Superannuation changes coming into effect from today actually have little relevance for working mums.

An article in The Age newspaper today states:

'According to a report released by the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia in June 2007, the average retirement payout for men retiring in the 2006-07 year is likely to be $130,000, while women, on average, will receive a meagre $45,000.

The reasons for the low payouts for women are disturbing and can be traced back to discriminatory work and superannuation policies over the past 50 years. Women were paid half the money men were paid for the same job until the laws were changed in 1975. Even now, according to countless studies, women are paid less than men in similar roles, although the gap is closing.

Today, family responsibilities, including rearing children and caring for elderly parents, still predominantly fall on women's shoulders. Women, if working, are more likely to have part-time rather than full-time work, although female participation in the workforce is increasing.

The Superannuation Guarantee still only applies to workers earning more than $450 a month, and women on paid maternity leave are still not entitled to the guarantee.

One of the more innovative Government super policies, the co-contribution scheme, promoted as a female-friendly policy, excludes many women because it is only available to the self-employed and employees. The co-contribution scheme involves the Government paying a tax-free super contribution of up to $1500 each year, if an individual makes a $1000 after-tax contribution each year to a super fund — but you have to be working.'

What about the part-time working mums amd women on maternity leave - as well as stay-at-home Mums?

For full article, see http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/super-changes-dont-add-up-to-much/2007/06/30/1182624234571.html

'Push It'- Paid Maternity Leave for Aussie Gals

Wow- I just love the magazine 'Marie Claire' for all the lobbying they do for women and working mums!

They have announced a new initiative called 'Push It-Paid Maternity Leave' to lobby for 14 weeks paid leave for new Mums in Australia. They held a rally in Sydney last Thursday 14 June attended by 350 women braving the cold and rain that day! Go girls!

Did you know Australia and the US are the only countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-ordination and Development (OECD) that do not have universal paid maternity schemes? - and this is despite the Australian government encouraging us to have more children!

In Canada, a new mum would receive an incredible 50 weeks paid leave - of which 35 could be taken by either herself or her partner. In Italy, she'd receive 47 weeks, in the UK, 39 weeks, while in Germany and Japan, she would be entitled to 14 weeks of fully paid maternity leave. The UK government recently increased its state-funded maternity leave from six to nearly 10 months. In Australia, employers are not obliged to pay anything once a pregnant worker goes on maternity leave. And it is this continued lack of support for new mothers that has sparked protests.

Register your support for this by going to http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/marie-claire/ - and help PUSH IT!