Working Dads: Towards Equal Care Report

Working Dads: Towards Equal Care Report Launch

The Working Dads: Towards Equal Care report, developed by the Preventing Violence Together (PVT) partnership and GenWest, shares insights from a significant number of fathers across Melbourne’s West.

The findings highlight why working fathers take less parental leave and face barriers to flexible caregiving.

During this webinar you will learn about the 18 actionable recommendations for workplaces and leadership that can foster a more inclusive, equitable environment for fathers and caregivers.

Where and when

• Wednesday, November 20 · 12:30 - 1:30pm
• Online webinar - register in Eventbrite

Featured Speakers

• Dr. Niki Vincent – Gender Equality Commissioner
• Dale Wakefield – CEO, GenWest
• Facilitator: Tasneem Chopra OAM, Consultant, Speaker, Broadcaster

Panel Discussion

Our panel will feature influential leaders in the workplace:

• Alison Leighton – CEO, City of Melbourne
• Ameet Bains – CEO, Western Bulldogs
• Cameron McDonald – Masculinities & Engaging Men in Prevention Expert, Our Watch

Read speaker and panellist bios.

Gain invaluable insights into:

• The impact of the parenting penalty on women and its connection to violence against women.
• How inclusive policies for working fathers enhance workplace gender equality.
• The critical role of leadership in dismantling gender stereotypes around caregiving.
• Firsthand experiences from leaders balancing care and work responsibilities.

This webinar is for all leaders, workplaces and workforces, with particular relevance for workplaces implementing the Gender Equality Act.

Register today to take part in the conversation and explore how we can move towards a more equal care!

For enquiries, contact Nisha Gull-E-Nishat, Team Leader – Gender Based Violence Prevention, at nisha@genwest.org.au.

Working Dads: Towards Equal Care Report

The Working Dads: Towards Equal Care report shares the experiences of working dads in Melbourne’s west. The report discusses the importance of workplaces supporting men as caregivers and offers 18 actions for workplaces to address gendered issues in workplace cultures.

Gender equality hinges on men taking on their share of the caregiving and workplaces play an important role in facilitating this.

This report, along with existing evidence, shows that men want to participate more in caregiving but are experiencing significant workplace barriers. Even when workplace policies are in place that provide fathers access to flexibility for caregiving and parental leave, workplace culture plays a significant role in creating a gap between policy and practice and impacting fathers’ ability to undertake equitable caring responsibilities.

These workplace cultural barriers are closely tied to traditional rigid gender stereotypes that systemically drive violence against women. The traditional ideal worker norm, that is closely linked to these rigid gendered norms, is playing out in workplace cultures and structures, and impacting men’s access to caregiving. This ultimately impacts women’s equality, economic security, and safety. Workplaces need to address these workplace barriers to enable parents to balance their work and caring responsibilities more equitably.

All workplaces can play a significant role in this work by supporting the implementation of the key recommendations.

Download a copy of the report

Why equal care?

Dads want to take on a more equal share of the care but face workplace culture barriers. If dads took on a more equal share of caregiving it would:

• Break down rigid gender stereotypes that drive violence against women.
• Lead to better mental health outcomes for families.
• Enable women to have more access to paid work and financial security.
• Reduce the Gender Pay Gap.
• Result in more gender equal workplaces.

Key report findings

• Almost half of the dads surveyed faced barriers to accessing parental leave, mainly due to workplace culture.
• 7 in 10 dads said their workplaces had flexible work policies, but many still faced workplace culture barriers that stopped them from using them.

How work places can play a role

The report discusses the importance of men sharing caregiving responsibilities to achieve gender equality, with workplaces playing an important role.

Workplaces can:

• Support flexible work for dads: dads who feel encouraged to use flexible work arrangements can better balance their professional and caregiving roles. Leading to better mental health outcomes for families.
• Break down gender stereotypes: when you advocate for dads to take parental leave and share caregiving duties, it breaks down rigid gender norms (gender stereotypes) in workplaces and at home.
• Create a supportive workplace culture: A workplace environment that empowers fathers to take necessary parental/carers leave without fear of negative consequences, ensures respect for all caregivers.

Recommendations for workplaces

‘Working Dads: Towards Equal Care’ offers 18 actions for workplaces to address gendered issues in workplace cultures and bridge the gap between policy and practice.

Key recommendations include:

• Reviewing and implementing flexible work policies: ensuring equal opportunities for all parents to take time off for caregiving.
• Encouraging dads to take parental leave: providing training for line managers and regular information sessions about workplace entitlements.
• Promoting supportive workplace cultures: recognising and respecting both parents as caregivers.